Mike vows he'll honor gay marriage

NY Daily News
May. 29, 2006

Mayor Bloomberg landed another left on the right yesterday, coming out strongly in favor of gay marriage - and vowing the city will perform same-sex wedding ceremonies, if allowed.

The Republican mayor used his weekly Sunday radio address on Memorial Day weekend to say he is "firmly opposed" to any constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage.

President Bush and other prominent Republicans endorse the Federal Marriage Amendment, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The measure is set for a Senate vote next month.

"The U.S. Constitution should be something that unites, rather than divides Americans," said Bloomberg, a life-long Democrat who joined the GOP to run for mayor in 2001.

"I do not believe that government should be in the business of telling people who they can and can't marry," he added during the address on 1010 WINS.

The mayor took pains to give his comments local context, referring to a lawsuit due before the state Court of Appeals tomorrow that focuses on five same-sex couples seeking marriage licenses in New York City.

But his remarks were yet another foray into hot-button national issues - and again they put him at odds with the Bush White House.

Bloomberg has been a strong advocate of strengthening gun control laws - holding his own summit of big city mayors on the issue and even conducting his own sting operation on out-of-state gun dealers.

Last week, he used a commencement address at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, to blast conservatives for their opposition to stem-cell research and their questioning of the science behind global warming.

"Today we are seeing hundreds of years of scientific discovery being challenged by people who simply disregard facts that don't happen to agree with their agendas," he told the medical school graduates.

He also denounced the so-called intelligent design theory as "creationism by another name."

Bloomberg was slightly more subdued yesterday, saying he was trying to strike a balance between enforcing the laws of the land and working to change those laws that he considers unconstitutional.

"I believe New Yorkers should have the right to marry whomever they choose, regardless of sexual orientation," he said.

"If they [the Court of Appeals] rule that same-sex marriages are legal, then we'll perform them," he vowed.