Go, West!
A Green mayor, one year later
By Joanne Cvar
Pacific Green Party of Oregon

	Joanne Cvar Photo by Peter Drake / Pacific Green Party

Jason West, environmental activist, art student, and elected Green mayor of New Paltz, N.Y., faces a possible one-year jail sentence if he is convicted of a misdemeanor offense. The charge? In 2004 West, in his official capacity as mayor, solemnized the marriages of more than two dozen same-sex couples. Mayor West did so in defiance of the opinion of the N.Y. State Health Department, which issues marriage licenses, that the Domestic Relations Law applied only to marriages between men and women. West did not agree. "In my opinion, it's the Department of Health that's breaking the law.... The laws governing marriage in New York State are gender-neutral, and the constitution of New York requires equal protection under those laws," he told CNN last March.

A New Paltz court had dismissed the charges brought against Mayor West and two Unitarian clergy in 2004. But the charges were reinstated on the same day that President Bush delivered his 2005 State of the Union address endorsing a constitutional amendment to "protect the institution of marriage." David Strand, an alternate Lavender Green Caucus delegate to the Green Party of the United States (GP-US), observes that "this would be the first constitutional amendment ever to limit the rights of a class of citizens."

Mayor West's actions set a precedent for other municipalities in issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples. In response, thousands of couples tied the knot until stopped by court orders, and "moral values" became the Republican mantra in the 2004 election. Greens believe that the reinstated indictment of West, while ignoring dozens of other similar actions, scapegoats him. "As members of the Green Party," said Rebecca Rotzler, who also performed same-sex marriages in her capacity as deputy mayor of the Village of New Paltz, "Jason West and I are obligated to uphold our party platform, which takes a firm stance for social and equal rights for all."

Greens urge everyone who supports basic American values of freedom, equality, and human rights to protest this decision of the Ulster County judge and prosecutors to press charges against Mayor West. "This is a conflict between an elected official and right-wing public officials and activists who confuse their own bigotry with moral values," says Marc Sanson, co-chair of the GP-US.

"We call Jason a hero and his case a landmark in the movement for human rights for all," adds Starlene Rankin, Lavender Green Caucus delegate to the national party. "We appeal to all Americans-including all fair-minded Democrats and Republicans-to join Greens in demanding that the charges be dropped."

New Paltz officials and citizens recently threw a party in celebration of the one-year anniversary of the couples West married last year. One couple brought their newborn twin daughters, who were due on their wedding anniversary but were born a few weeks early.

Back to Spring 2005