Bloomberg States Case, Emphatically and Personally, for Same-Sex Marriage

(New York City) Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, declaring that “near-equality is no equality” for gay couples, delivered an uncharacteristically forceful and sweeping speech on Thursday in which he called on New York to “lead the American journey forward” by legalizing same-sex marriage this year.

Directly addressing an issue that is roiling the State Legislature in the final weeks of its annual session, Mr. Bloomberg said that the state’s inaction on same-sex marriage was incompatible with its long history of promoting freedom and tolerance. He invoked the riot at the Stonewall Inn in the West Village almost 42 years ago, widely viewed as the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement, as an example of the role that New Yorkers can play in shaping history.

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The tone of the speech was unusually personal for a mayor known for dispassionate number-crunching and policy analysis. Mr. Bloomberg was introduced by a niece, Rachel Tiven, who is gay. At one point, he said that he had grown tired of trying to explain to gay friends, relatives and staff members why the government was denying them the right to wed.

“I see the pain that the status quo is causing, and I cannot defend it,” he said.