Greens Call for Support for New Paltz, NY Mayor Jason West

[demodonkey]

http://gpus.org/press/pr_2005_02_03.html

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Greens called for national support for Mayor Jason West of New Paltz, New York after misdemeanor charges were reinstated against him on Wednesday for solemnizing more than two dozen same-sex marriages. Mayor West, a member of the Green Party, faces up to a year in jail if convicted.

"We urge everyone who supports basic American values of freedom, equality, and human rights to protest the decision of an Ulster County judge and prosecutors to press these charges against Jason," said Marc Sanson, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States. "This is a conflict between an elected official acting on his conscience and some public officials and rightwing activists who confuse their own bigotry with moral values. The charges serve no legal purpose, except to vilify same-sex couples and anyone who supports their rights. We will do all we can to assist Jason."

Green Party members noted that the charges were announced on the same day that President Bush, in his 2005 State of the Union address, repeated his endorsement of a "constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage", i.e. to outlaw same-sex marriages nationally and restrict the rights of gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans.

"Mayor West has asserted that he had a responsibility according to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees equal protection under the law and freedom of religion, to defy a state law outlawing same-sex marriages," said David Strand, the Lavender Green Caucus's alternate delegate to the Green Party. "In contrast, President Bush wants to remove equal protection and religious freedom with the first constitutional amendment ever to limit the rights of a class of citizens. The coincidence of the President's address and the reinstated charges against Mayor West suggests a growing movement to disenfranchise gay Americans."

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http://gpus.org/press/pr_2005_02_03.html

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