03/18/2009
Gavin Newsom Slams Politicization of Marriage Equality
On March 11, SF Mayor Gavin Newsom appeared at a talk hosted by the Commonwealth Club, during which he talked about the upcoming 55th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education and launched a preemptive strike at politicians who will use the occasion to praise the civil rights record of the United States while disregarding the inequities faced by LGBT Americans.
Said Newsom: "How can you argue separate is not equal and then argue that separate is equal — but only if you're gay? It's everything I'm not."
Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...
Posted 4:20 PM EST by Andy Towle in Barack Obama, California, Gavin Newsom, Gay Marriage, News | Permalink
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I wasn't aware that nick dipaolo was the mayor of san francisco.
Posted by: TANK | Mar 18, 2009 4:32:04 PM
Mayor Newsom is everything that we can hope a modern heterosexual human being can be. he is a hero to me, an east coast liberal 51 year old gay, and i wish there were millions and millions more people that thought, and acted, as he does. what a great world it could be. thanks Andy for posting this.
Posted by: casey | Mar 18, 2009 5:07:57 PM
he's super nice to the gays. i appreciate that.
Posted by: Gregsy | Mar 18, 2009 5:14:40 PM
Expect a profession Gavin Hater to clock in any minute, but evidence that he's the real thing is that he would have stopped promoting marriage equality, criticizing members of his own party for their cowardice, if he weren't long ago.
His courage has cost him both politically and personally. Does anyone remember seeing this handsome, eloquent man on the podium, at the mike, at the Democratic National Convention? He's alienated from members of his family, Catholic religious leaders literally shun him publicly, and there must have been several death threats last year during the Prop H8TE wars added to the 1400 he received during SF's "Winter of Love."
And even if Feinstein doesn't run for CA governor [which she'd win easily], his chances are nil given that 73% of the millions who voted for H8TE said there was NOTHING anyone could do to change their minds, so it follows that they'd never vote for marriage equality's greatest straight champion.
Posted by: Michael Bedwell | Mar 18, 2009 5:25:00 PM
Not only is Newsom an open, progressive politician/public servant/human being, he's hot as sin, too.
Posted by: Marco | Mar 18, 2009 5:27:56 PM
I saw Gavin speak here in Los Angeles last night. He is one of the most magnetic personalities I have ever witnessed. I believe that he could, despite his support of marriage equality, engage voters in California and win the position of Governor of the State of California. His only Republican rivals at this point seem to be Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman. Poizner has no name recognition and Whitman has no charisma. Gavin could win this. And I intend to do everything I can to help him.
Posted by: peterparker | Mar 18, 2009 5:46:29 PM
As a gay man in San Francisco, I'm proud to have Gavin Newsom as our mayor. He's done a lot for the gay community, not only here, in the entire state as well as the country. He once said (and I'm paraphrasing) "If I have ruined my political career fighting for what I know those who have elected me feel stronlyly about, then so be it." That's rare in a politician. Unfortunately I don't think he has much of a chance to win a bid for govenor. I could (and wish) I was proved wrong. I will definately vote for him in any primary or general elections.
Posted by: Scott | Mar 18, 2009 5:57:30 PM
he is not just a sexy man. he is a real man.
Posted by: nic | Mar 18, 2009 6:39:54 PM
Newsom does have his politics down and it does favor the gay community immensely to have someone like him on our side. That said, the more he talks about himself, the less time he has to make his points about what he believes in. The more he states that he's outside of the politicking of rights, the more he plays into that game. You don't have to be a "Newsom hater" to see that, although the message is right-on, the messenger could use a bit of finesse. And, that's politics, folks.
Posted by: James | Mar 18, 2009 6:46:52 PM
Glad you got to experience him in person, Peter! And "magnetic" is a perfect word. You can't teach or learn natural charisma like that.
And who can name five other pols his age with the same talents and charisma. Again, if the Dem Heads weren't scared shitless of his association with what THEY don't have the balls to get out in front of they would be groveling at his feet, offering whatever office/job he wanted on a silver platter.
Posted by: Michael Bedwell | Mar 18, 2009 7:42:28 PM
If there are two politicians of my generation that i love its Newsom and Obama. Yes I love Obama too. Bite me old gay white men who hate Obama.
Posted by: jose | Mar 18, 2009 7:53:02 PM
"If there are two politicians of my generation that i love its Newsom and Obama. Yes I love Obama too. Bite me old gay white men who hate Obama. "
Jose, a bit extreme and slightly racist.
I'm jes sayin'.
Posted by: Derek Washington | Mar 18, 2009 8:14:54 PM
You'll notice that it was Obama that Gavin called out by name when refering to politicians who give speeches praising equality but then turn around and preach "separate but equal" when it concerns LGBT issues. ROCK ON GAVIN!
Posted by: Wayne | Mar 18, 2009 8:26:28 PM
I'm a gay man living in San Francisco. I've never voted for Newsom and would not vote for her for Governor.
He has done very little to improve the quality of life for average San Francisco citizens.
His support of same-sex marriage is heartfelt but his stunt of handing out faux marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples at City Hall was strategically foolish and aiming purely at protecting his flank from more liberal (read: "progressive") factions on the Board of Supervisors. For as well-funded as his 2003 campaign was, he almost lost that election to an insurgent left winger.
Gays have only ever been used as political stepping stones to protect his own political career.
Sorry, that's the truth.
Posted by: LightningLord | Mar 18, 2009 8:27:51 PM
My Hero.
Simple as that.
Posted by: manny | Mar 18, 2009 9:18:24 PM
I see LIGHTNINGLORD has arrived to blather on about how Gavin Newsom's decision to provide for marriage equality within the City of San Francisco was but a mere self serving stunt to protect himself from liberals on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. If that is so, then why is Gavin STILL speaking out on our behalf when 52% of Californians just voted to amend the Constitution of the State of CA to eliminate our right to marry? Given his position on the issue, it does Gavin Newsom no good to continue to flog this issue while gearing up for a run for statewide office. And yet he still speaks out. Please explain, LIGHTNINGLORD, how such behavior indicates that Gavin Newsom is only using gay people as "political stepping stones" to a political career?
Posted by: peterparker | Mar 18, 2009 9:49:44 PM
LighningLord, he almost lost the 2003 election to an "insurgent left winger"? That insurgent (Matt Gonzales) was president of the Board of Supervisors, while Newsom was merely a member. That insurgent also just ran for vice president of the US on a ticket with the despicably arrogant Ralph Nader. He was hardly an unknown.
Newsom has done a lot more to improve the city than the previous series of mayors, not that it's been too hard to improve on that sorry lot. I hardly see how taking an unpopular stand in the face of your party's objections (locally, statewide, and nationally) is a tool for political success, yet he's never shied away from it. Outside SF, many of his views are very unpopular. If he only aspired to be mayor, that would be one thing. But he has higher goals and refuses to whitewash his support of marriage. Not too many other Democrats are doing that. He has a fair bit of integrity and doesn't do everything based on polls, which is refreshing.
Posted by: Paul R | Mar 18, 2009 9:52:36 PM
This man has risked alot to be honest and stand up for his beliefs - he is a true leader. The very LEAST the gay community can do is give him our loyalty and support. Our community needs someone to lead as Harvey Milk did... it appears he is already front and center!
Posted by: Mike | Mar 18, 2009 10:36:06 PM
@ SCOTT, et al.: if you're really interested in having Newsom as guv, then you'll want to do more than just vote for him. Give money (if you can) and time to his campaign. We can't just sit in front of our computers and just use the ballot to create the change we want.
Posted by: David R. | Mar 19, 2009 12:33:20 AM
As a San Franciscan, I don't agree with Gavin on everything, but he has fought for 1) gay rights & 2) solutions to get the indigent off the streets of SF. Not everything has worked, but I respect that he is willing to make an effort and explore new ideas. It is funny but to left-wingers here in SF he is practically a conservative, while in the rest of the country he is a leftist.
His opponent in the 2003 election quit the Board of Supervisors after the election and apparently only appears to his followers now.
Gavin is seen as a bit of a showboat, but his marital infidelities are no more than those of his comtemporaries (the mayor of LA for example, who is also a pro-gay progressive). And he can't be any worse than the slew of governors we have gone thru in the last 30 years.
Posted by: Odsbjorn | Mar 19, 2009 1:38:25 AM
I hate that the right to marry is still something that needs to be fought for. A dear dear friend of mine just saw his marriage be de-legitimized by the state of California, and as a straight person, i could console but never understand his deep and immense pain. newsom deserves every sensible and compassionate persons support... go San Fran!
Posted by: kh | Mar 19, 2009 1:42:13 AM
Newsom is still a long shot candidate. And not just because of his association with same-sex marriage. He's too liberal in general.
Sadly, unless a proven moderate like Feinstein enters the race, Poizner and Whitman can win in 2010. All they'd have to do is get those barely loyal DINOs in the Central Valley and Southern California to switch sides. It isn't that hard to do either. Promise some tax cuts, say you'll build more freeways, call the legislature dysfunctional, and whip up some good ol' homophobia. That'll do it. These conservative Democrats might "come home" for the presidential race, but California also has a long history of electing Republican governors. And while the Democrats tend to win legislative elections, the margins are unspectacular. They've never gotten anywhere near the 2/3rd majority needed to overrule GOP vetoes.
Outside of a few large cities and college towns, the political orientation of this state is decidedly "Florida" (i.e. Catholic Latinos and Rednecks). It isn't nearly as liberal as Hollywood would have us believe.
Posted by: John in CA | Mar 19, 2009 2:25:08 AM
john in caca,
catholic latinos? your kidding, right? re-check your figures and get back to me, stupid shit.
Posted by: nic | Mar 19, 2009 4:11:50 AM
36% of California is Latino (Wikipedia). 60% of them identify as Catholic (Center for Religion and Spirituality, Loyola Marymount University). Which means 21.6% of the population is both Latino and Catholic. That's almost three times the number of African Americans - of any religion - in the entire state. The distribution shows heavy concentrations of Latinos (who happen to be also Catholic and Democratic) in the Central Valley and Southern California (CA Secretary of State).
Care to guess which areas voted for Prop. 8?
The Central Valley and Southern California.
Don't let a silly thing like facts get in the way of your profanity laced triade though. In any case, the safe bet is Newsom won't be governor of California in January 2011.
Posted by: John in CA | Mar 19, 2009 6:21:50 AM
i would never let a triad get in my way, laced with profanity or not.
statewide, the latino vote was only a few percentage points more negative than the white vote. are there a lot of catholic latinos in california? of course, durr. that is not the bone of contention. you put latinos in the same class as rednecks. other than race-baiting, i don't get where you were going with this.
you are comparing mexican-americans in califa to cuban-americancs in la florida. there is a HUGE difference, my friend. i really don't care, nor would i ever want to care, whether in that dark repug black hole you call your heart agrees with me.
now, i will do what sean hannity loves to do. you know, the whole washing movement with his big, fat paws while he secures that little smirk on his piggish face. you know, the smug, holier-than thou crap. i'm sure you know.
Posted by: nic | Mar 19, 2009 7:31:45 AM