March 10, 2008 - 3:44pm
News

Goldstein says Spitzer refused to waiver on marriage equality support

Garden State Equality President Steven Goldstein today praised New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer for his longtime support of same-sex marriage:

“I was Eliot Spitzer’s press secretary in his successful 1998 campaign for New York State Attorney General. I came to know him and his wife Silda well. They are both two of the most wonderful people you could ever meet. Silda is every bit as brilliant, accomplished and downright nice as Eliot is. I love them both and my heart aches.

Eliot endorsed marriage equality in that 1998 race, well before almost any other statewide public official or statewide candidate in America had done so. Perhaps Eliot was the first, I don’t know – he may have been among statewide nominees in America.

Behind the scenes, some of his advisors in the 1998 campaign pressured him to moderate his position away from marriage equality. He said, no, this conversation is over, this is something I believe in legally and personally, now let’s move on.

Four years later, when my partner Daniel and I were the first same-sex couple in the New York Times wedding announcements, among the very first to congratulate us were Eliot and Silda. They were overjoyed.”

Editor can be reached via email at editor@politicsnj.com.