It’s sort of sad to Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco and at one time this country’s most recognizable face in the gay marriage movement, be reduced to bystander status as the march for equality charges on.
“The mayor who staked his career on giving equal rights to gays may have to settle for paving the way,” opines Maureen Dowd. “The lawyers get praised, but he got pilloried?”
Which is semi-accurate. Ted Olson and David Boies will, if Perry succeeds in Newsom’s city, receive much of the credit for helping enact marriage equality. And without Newsom granting marriage licenses in San Francisco before a court halted him, we might not be here today, with the lawsuits headed from the California Supreme Court to the federal Ninth Circuit and, soon, to the Supreme Court.
But Newsom also, in crafting his since-failed gubernatorial run against AG Jerry Brown, distanced himself from the gay marriage issue. Not because he stopped believing in what was right, but because he couldn’t afford to be known as a one-issue politician. Which is true: he couldn’t. Except now it’s coming around to bite him, and his legacy, in the ass.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Lady Ga-Gasp
According to whom? Newsom did his part when it was the right time to do it. Now he is in his last days as mayor, dealing with other mayor stuff like a huge budget deficit, and he even has a baby at home. What more is he supposed to be doing? Grandstanding? Hosting a bad xm sirius radio show? What? Why the bitter?
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Everyone gets a second act and he has read the tea leaves!
Fitz
That is really insulting and stupid of you to call him a mascot. he took real action, and he is a real advocate for our cause. You are such caustic bitches sometimes.
alex
I expect nothing more than bitter, snarky posts from Queerty.
As Fitz said, Newsom did stand up for us. Believe it or not, there more to being Mayor of a huge city like San Francisco than one single issue. As Lady Ga-Gasp mentions, the entire State of California is in tremendous budget crisis which affects city budgets. You know, the budgets that fund things like police, fire, and schools. Frankly, I’m glad Newsom isn’t hanging out at the Prop 8 courtroom, since he has other responsibilities.
alan brickman
Al Gore of gay rights….he played it wrong…
Andrew
Newsom = Loser
Lukas P.
Newsom’s bold move to extend marriage to same-sex couples makes him a hero, in my book. He did what he thought of as the fair and right thing, took a lot of flak and pissed off plenty people. Maybe his timing was off, but we owe him some gratitude. He’s no dim bulb and surely will end up on his feet job-wise — in or out of politics.
1EqualityUSA
We stood in the rain and had an 11 hour day when Mr. Newsom invited us to partake in this society as equals. I’m sure he has no regrets. At least he lived by his own heart. Look at Obama. Look at how everyone has lost respect for him and the dems for not standing up to the pressure. At least Gavin Newsom can rest assured that he is on the right side of history. I would bet he sleeps better at night. He’s true to himself. That’s all one can ask for. He’s a hero to my spouse and me. That day is forever burned into my memory. The people in line with us were so emotional and bonded. People fed us, gave us coffee, honked in support, and showed true love and gentle spirit. That’s a gift given to us by this fearless man. Anybody who follows his true self will not have to chew too hard. He will be o.k. Immense gratitude is what I feel.
San Francisco Treat
What’s biting my mayor? There’s not even a point to this article. Gavin Newsom is a champion for equality and we will never forget his unfailing support. Shove it Queerty.