"Praise be to the almighty ... dollar!"
This just blows the mind—Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is suddenly courting rich gays in Manhattan. Specifically, he and his wife attended a dinner hosted by two prominent gay business partners and hoteliers—Mati Weiderpass and Ian Reisner. And here's a taste of what Cruz, who has railed against same-sex marriage, had to say, from
reporter Maggie Haberman:
During the gathering, according to two attendees, Mr. Cruz said he would have no problem if one of his daughters was gay. He did not mention his opposition to same-sex marriage, saying only that marriage is an issue that should be left to the states.
Oh, so he's totally cool. I guess the fact that he sent a letter to "
tens of thousands of pastors" last month urging them to take a stand against same-sex marriage was just a little slip of the finger.
"Will we be on the right side of history, the side occupied by the Author of history?" he wrote. "Will we discard an institution, ordained by God, which has brought so much stability and happiness to the human family? Or will we stand in its support?"
For more on Cruz's pitch, head below the fold.
Cruz probably wasn't serious either when he joined 11 other GOP senators in February to introduce that State Marriage Defense Act, which would bar the federal government from providing federal benefits to gay couples that are legally married but reside in a state that still outlaws same-sex marriage. Here's a little tidbit from Cruz's press release:
“I support traditional marriage and we should reject attempts by the Obama Administration to force same-sex marriage on all 50 states. The State Marriage Defense Act helps safeguard the ability of states to preserve traditional marriage for their citizens.”
As a point of clarification, the federal government is not providing full federal benefits to same-sex spouses who live in states that don't recognize their marriages, but
taxes are one area where the government has equalized treatment regardless of where same-sex couples reside.
But perhaps the relevant question here is: who's being more hypocritical—Ted Cruz or the guys who hosted this event (which technically wasn't a fundraiser)?
Mr. Reisner, asked about the possible dissonance between his gay activism and being at an event for Mr. Cruz, said he did not agree with the senator on social issues. Same-sex marriage, he said, “is done — it’s just going to happen.”
After speaking to The Times about the event, Mr. Sporn later called back to say: “All dinner participants were aware of the senator’s personal and political opposition to gay marriage. His statement at the dinner that it should be left to the states was consistent with his policies.”
Oh, so everyone knew how rabidly homophobic Cruz's policies are and attended anyway. That makes me feel better.
Reisner and Weiderpass reportedly give to LGBT causes, including the statewide lobbying group, the Empire State Pride Agenda, and the city's LGBT community center.
But the notion that marriage equality is "just going to happen" so gays should give a pass to people who specifically aim to deprive LGBT Americans of equal rights and freedoms is ludicrous. In fact, gay Republicans might take a lesson from LGBT Democrats, who pressured the Obama administration relentlessly in order to ensure passage of "don't ask, don't tell" repeal and the demise of the Defense of Marriage Act. It sure would be nice to see gay Republicans hold their party and their politicians to account.
4:02 PM PT: UPDATE: There's an effort afoot to boycott the establishments owned by the gay businessmen who hosted Cruz: https://www.facebook.com/....
