Monday, June 6, 2005
Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576, nallen@acadia.net
Jason West, Mayor of New Paltz, N.Y., 845-255-1413, mayor@villageofnewpaltz.org
Kathy Schmidt, Chairperson of the New Paltz Green Party, 845-883-6102,
karcher@peoplepc.com
GREENS URGE SUPPORT FOR MAYOR JASON WEST OF NEW
PALTZ, N.Y., AS HE FACES PROSECUTION FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGES
Green Party leaders see political motivation as
West is singled out for solemnizing same-sex weddings.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders appealed
to all Americans and organizations who value human rights to speak out
in support of Mayor Jason West of New Paltz, New York.
Mr. West, a member of the Green Party, will face
prosecution for violating domestic relations law for officiating at
the weddings of 24 same-sex couples in 2004, according to a ruling on
May 27 from New York's highest court. Mayor West, whose case will be
heard in a New Paltz town court, performed the ceremonies to champion
the rights of gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans.
"The State of New York wants to punish an
elected Green Mayor for performing same-sex marriages and defending
the constitutional guarantee of equal protection," said Chaia
Lehrer, who was married in New Paltz and is a member of the Green
Party. "While Democrats and moderate Republicans have backtracked
on gay rights during and since the 2004 election, the Green Party has
enthusiastically endorsed equal marriage rights for same-sex
couples."
"The West prosecution is more than a court
case. It's a measure of the willingness of political leaders, parties,
and elected officials to stand up for freedom and human rights,"
added Ms. Lehrer, who noted that New York Gov. George Pataki and
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer have claimed that same-sex marriages
violate state law. "Mayor West's defense should be a national
cause célèbre for gay rights."
Mayor West, who faces a maximum of 24 years in
prison and thousand of dollars in fines for multiple misdemeanor
counts if convicted, will be represented in court by E. Joshua
Rosenkranz of Heller, Ehrman, White, McAuliffe.
"By performing same-sex marriages, we are
upholding the U.S. and New York State constitutions, as well as our
party platform which defends human and civil rights," said
Rebecca Rotzler, New Paltz Deputy Mayor, who has also performed a
same-sex marriage.
Greens have called the prosecution of Mayor West
politically motivated.
Greens noted that two Unitarian ministers
conducted more than a dozen same-sex weddings in s New Paltz. But when
a New Paltz judge threw out the charges against the ministers, Ulster
County District Attorney Don Williams did not seek reinstatement of
the charges.
Furthermore, Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco
conducted a few thousand weddings, but even though the weddings
themselves were held to be invalid and were ordered to be stopped, no
charges were filed against Mayor Newsom, who happens to be a Democrat.
Greens observed that D.A. Williams ran for office
on the Republican, Conservative, Democratic, and Independence party
lines (New York allows fusion candidacies), and that the Ulster County
Democratic Party nominated Mr. Williams as their own candidate and
gave him their ballot line.
Greens also noted that the initial legal effort
against Mayor West was led by an organization called the Liberty
Counsel <http://www.lc.org>, which serves as the the legal arm
of Jerry Falwell ministries. Liberty Counsel offers an online store
<https://www.lc.org/Store/index.html>, where a percentage of
every purchase -- from companies such as Avon, Barnes & Noble,
Eddie Bauer, Lands End, LL Bean, Old Navy, and The Gap -- is donated
to Liberty Counsel <http://www.lc.onecause.com>.
"Americans who support human rights should
know that some of their favorite brands are contributing to Jerry
Falwell's vicious antigay witchhunt against heroes like Jason
West," said Jason Jones, Louisiana Green and chair of the
national Lavender Green Caucus.
MORE INFORMATION
Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1711 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
Lavender Green Caucus http://www.lavendergreens.org
Green Party of New York State http://www.gpnys.org
