N.Y. Mayor to Still Marry Gay Couples

This guy is a hero:

New Paltz's mayor vowed to go ahead with up to two dozen
same-sex weddings this weekend, despite being charged with 19 criminal
counts and possibly facing jail time for marrying gay couples.
Jason West was scheduled to be in town court Wednesday night to answer
charges that he married 19 couples knowing they did not have marriage
licenses, a violation of the state's domestic relations law. West, 26,
has called it his moral obligation to wed same-sex couples, joining San
Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in the vanguard of the growing gay
marriage movement. "I'm incredibly disappointed," said the Green Party
mayor, who added that he will plead innocent at his court hearing.
"Apparently, it's a crime to uphold the constitution of New York
state." West married 25 gay couples on Friday, making this small
college village 75 miles north of New York City another flash point in
the national debate over gay marriage. More than 3,400 couples have
been married in San Francisco; West now has about 1,000 couples on a
waiting list.

A 26 year old mayor with balls of steel. Keep your eye on this guy. He's going to be a political rock star.

Posted by flow Frazao on March 3, 2004 at 07:09 AM | Permalink