From The Ashes ...

Of Course, Wither Nyack Goes So Goes The Nation

Nyack supports same-sex unions

By GREG CLARY
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: February 28, 2004)

Nyack Mayor John Shields yesterday afforded full legal rights to same-sex marriages and their families in the village, stopping short of performing such marriages himself because Nyack village does not issue marriage licenses.

"As the mayor of Nyack, it's my job to do what's best for the village," said Shields, a Democrat. "Respecting marriages performed elsewhere is one more way to demonstrate my commitment to families and their importance in our community."

The move is largely ceremonial, Shields acknowledged, but said it was important enough an issue that he wanted to take an official stand.

Shields, who is gay, said President Bush may have created more problems for himself than he realized by taking on such a diverse population as gay and lesbian Americans.

Gays are fighting to be able to do what any good U.S. citizen should want to do, Shield said, defend the country, pay taxes and raise families.

"It seems to me that people who form commitments add to a community," Shields said. "I don't see what the issue is."

Upper Nyack resident Louis Tharpe, who has lived with partner Jim Bumgardner for almost 20 years, said he was happy to hear that Shields had made the Nyack decree, adding he would be calling his own mayor to see if Upper Nyack could start licensing same-sex marriages.

Tharpe and Bumgardner exchanged ceremonial vows in 1987 as a protest in front of the Internal Revenue Service's Washington, D.C., headquarters, to highlight the marriage benefits they were not getting.

Tharpe said he was scheduled to be in San Francisco in the next two weeks and the couple looked into getting legally married there, but the first opening is April 14.

"Being married in San Francisco or in New Paltz is of dubious value," Tharpe said, noting that the courts will ultimately rule on the legal status of same-sex marriages. "But the more people who get married and the more times the sky doesn't fall, the weaker the argument against gay marriages is."

Toni and Claire Bonde are raising two sons in Upper Nyack. Claire Bonde said yesterday that Shields made the right move.

"That's a start at least," she said. "I'm excited to hear so many people talking about this, whether people agree or not. We're out to everyone around here and nobody bats an eyelash. That's what is so great about Nyack."


Reach Greg Clary at gclary@thejournalnews.com or 845-578-2442.

Christ, why am I up at 5:15? Oh yeah, I run a bar. Night chitlin's.