Home>News Center>Life
         
 

N.Y. town's mayor charged in gay weddings
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-03-03 11:36

The village's mayor was charged Tuesday with 19 criminal counts for performing weddings for gay couples, an act of defiance that thrust the small community into the center of the national debate over same-sex marriage.

Jason West was charged with solemnizing marriages for couples who had no licenses, a misdemeanor under the domestic relations law, according to Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams.

Although West could face a maximum penalty of a year in jail, the prosecutor said a jail term wasn't being contemplated at this point.

The 26-year-old Green Party mayor said he will plead innocent at his court hearing Wednesday and that he would still go through with his plans to marry as many as two dozen gay couples Saturday.

"I'm incredibly disappointed," West said. "Apparently, it's a crime to uphold the constitution of New York state."

West performed wedding ceremonies for 25 gay couples Friday, making him the second mayor in the country to perform same-sex marriages. It also made this small college village 75 miles north of New York City another flash point in the national debate over gay marriage. More than 3,400 couples have been married in San Francisco and West has about 1,000 couples on a waiting list.

Absent jail, punishment for the misdemeanor could run from a $25 to $500 fine. Williams said he still did not know whether West performed the marriages of his own accord or after getting bad legal advice.

"If he's doing it sincerely out of a moral conviction and out of some naive misunderstanding of the law, then that would enter into the equation," the prosecutor said.

Williams said the misdemeanor complaint lists 19 charges — instead of 25 for the number of weddings performed — because police at the scene provided eyewitness accounts of only 19 ceremonies. He said more charges are possible.

With West vowing to go through with more gay weddings, opponents had hoped Williams would act to stop him. But he said he did not have the legal power to do that, only to file charges after the fact.

West said the prospect of further punishment does not deter him, adding that the newlywed couples inspire him.

"Just the looks on their faces, just the absolute joy of finally being able to be equal," he said. "That is the highest moral calling I could possibly imagine."

State Sen. Thomas Duane, a Manhattan Democrat and one of three openly gay state lawmakers, called Williams' actions "malicious."

"Does the Ulster County D.A. really want to put someone in jail for recognizing long-term relationships between people?" he said. "Does he really want to put in jail someone who recognizes same-sex families? Really, the Ulster County D.A. should be prosecuted for malicious prosecution, which is a felony in New York."

Surprisingly, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger softened his stance on same-sex marriages during an appearance Monday on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."

Schwarzenegger told Leno that such unions would be "fine with me" if the courts or the voters change state law and make them legal.

While he said he supports the law approved by California voters last year that proclaims marriage can only involve a man and a woman, the Republican added that if the law were changed he'd go along.

"Let the court decide," he said. "Let the people decide."

Until now, Schwarzenegger has sent mixed messages on same-sex marriages, ordering state Attorney General Bill Lockyer to "take immediate steps" to stop San Francisco from allowing them, but doing nothing to enforce that directive.

Earlier, he was criticized by Democrats for raising the rhetoric in a nationally televised interview, when he warned of anarchy and deadly consequences if the San Francisco marriages were not stopped.

"All of a sudden we see riots and we see protests and we see people clashing," Schwarzenegger said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "The next thing we know is there are injured or there are dead people, and we don't want to have that."

 
  Today's Top News     Top Life News
 

China puzzled over US filing tax complaint at WTO

 

   
 

Chen, Annette Lu slightly wounded in shooting

 

   
 

Specific reform objectives set for banks

 

   
 

Bush urges allies to stick with united mission

 

   
 

Marriage bells toll in cyber churches

 

   
 

Chinese, French women hold dialogue

 

   
  China on show in song and story
   
  Girl, 14, becomes a mother
   
  Dazzling art works catch collectors' eyes
   
  Liver-transplant patient gives birth
   
  China final of Miss Universe to be held in "Spring City"
   
  Computer game cracked down on for discrediting China's image
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Feature  
  HK pop star Edison Chen punched by youngsters  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 91精品欧美产品免费观看| 久久精品成人一区二区三区| 精品国产福利久久久| 国产成人19禁在线观看| 18禁裸男晨勃露j毛免费观看| 天天做天天爱天天综合网| 东北大炕王婶小说| 日本特黄高清免费大片爽| 亚洲av无码专区电影在线观看| 永久免费AV无码网站YY| 免费无码又爽又黄又刺激网站| 一级做a爱过程免费视频高清| 日韩一区二区三区在线播放| 亚洲乱码无限2021芒果| 欧美激情视频网| 亲密爱人免费完整在线观看| 精品无人区一区二区三区| 国产xxxx做受视频| 裸体跳舞XXXX裸体跳舞| 国产女人18毛片水| 成人自拍视频网| 国产极品粉嫩交性大片| 69xxxx视频| 国产精品女在线观看| 91在线精品中文字幕| 多人伦交性欧美在线观看| 一本一道精品欧美中文字幕 | 国产乱人伦偷精品视频不卡| 黄页网址大全免费观看22| 国产欧美日韩不卡| 亚洲综合伊人制服丝袜美腿| 国产精品密入口导航游戏| 91精品久久久久久久久久小网站| 处女的诱惑在线观看| bt天堂网...www在线资源| 奇米影视第四色在线| www.好吊色.com| 女人被男人狂躁视频免费| www亚洲精品| 女人国产香蕉久久精品| japanesexxxx乱子老少配另类|