This is another thing that bothered me a lot about Cruz. I supported his strong stance on gay marriage. I'm not really anti-gay but I am strongly against same-sex marriage. I believe they should have legal rights as a couple; just not marriage.
Cruz has campaigned on his position so I'm not at all sure about his gay donor/close friend and the other gay contacts. I'm undecided on this issue.
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By MAGGIE HABERMAN
APRIL 23, 2015
Senator Ted Cruz has positioned himself as a strong opponent of same-sex marriage, urging pastors nationwide to preach in support of marriage as an institution between a man and a woman, which he said was “ordained by God.”
But on Monday night, at a reception for him at the Manhattan apartment of two prominent gay hoteliers, the Texas senator and Republican presidential hopeful struck quite a different tone.
During the gathering, according to two people present, Mr. Cruz said he would not love his daughters any differently if one of them was gay. He did not mention his opposition to same-sex marriage, saying only that marriage is an issue that should be left to the states.
The dinner and “fireside chat” for about a dozen people with Mr. Cruz and his wife, Heidi, was at the Central Park South penthouse of Mati Weiderpass and Ian Reisner, longtime business partners who were once a couple and who have been pioneers in the gay hospitality industry.
“Ted Cruz said, ‘If one of my daughters was gay, I would love them just as much,’” recalled Mr. Reisner, a same-sex marriage proponent who described himself as simply an attendee at Mr. Weiderpass’s event.
Mr. Reisner and Kalman Sporn, who advises Mr. Cruz’s Middle East team and served as the moderator for the evening, said the senator told the group that marriage should be left up to the states. The evening focused primarily on foreign policy, including a discussion of gay rights in Israel versus the rest of the Middle East, and opposition to President Obama.
An aide to Mr. Cruz, reached on Thursday, reiterated that the senator is opposed to same-sex marriage.
Mr. Cruz has honed his reputation as a grass-roots firebrand, and was strongly supportive of the Indiana religious exceptions law that was recently blasted as discriminatory by gay rights activists. When the law was attacked by major businesses like Walmart, he criticized the “Fortune 500’s radical gay marriage agenda.”
In Iowa a few weeks ago, Mr. Cruz said, ““The Fortune 500 is running shamelessly to endorse the radical gay marriage agenda over religious liberty to say, ‘We will persecute a Christian pastor, a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi. Any person of faith is subject to persecution if they dare disagree, if their religious faith parts way from their political commitment to gay marriage.’ ”
So the juxtaposition of Mr. Cruz being the guest of honor at a home owned by two of the most visible gay businessmen in New York City was striking. Mr. Cruz was on a fund-raising tour of New York City, although the dinner was not a fund-raiser.
Mr. Cruz also told the group that Peter Thiel, an openly gay investor, is a close friend of his, Mr. Sporn said. Mr. Thiel has been a generous contributor to Mr. Cruz’s campaigns.
Mr. Reisner said he and Mr. Weiderpass jointly own the duplex apartment where the event was held. He said that a third host, Sam Domb — another partner in their business who used to work with Rudolph W. Giuliani, a Republican and a former mayor of New York — was also a property owner there.
The three men are strong supporters of Israel, as is Mr. Cruz. Mr. Reisner, who said members of his family perished in the Holocaust, said Mr. Cruz’s foreign policy views were part of the appeal for people like Mr. Domb.
“Ted Cruz was on point on every issue that has to do with national security,” he said.
Mr. Weiderpass posted pictures of Mr. Cruz at his home on Facebook late Wednesday, including one of the senator and his wife posing with wait staff members from the dinner.
The apartment owned by Mr. Reisner and Mr. Weiderpass made headlines last October when a 23-year-old Brooklyn man died there of an apparent drug overdose.
Mr. Reisner said the event for Mr. Cruz was set up with Mr. Domb, Mr. Sporn and Mr. Cruz’s adviser Nick Muzin.
Mr. Reisner recently bought a commercial strip along the Fire Island Pines, which has been a mecca for gay vacationers for decades. He is also the face of Out NYC, a hotel near Times Square that caters primarily to a gay audience, including offering itself as a wedding destination. He and Mr. Weiderpass are partners at Parkview Developers.
Mr. Reisner, asked about the possible dissonance between his gay activism and being at an event for Mr. Cruz, said he did not agree with the senator on social issues. Same-sex marriage, he said, “is done — it’s just going to happen.”
In a statement later, Catherine Frazier, a spokeswoman for Mr. Cruz, said the senator had "stated directly and unambiguously what everyone in the room already knew, that he opposes same-sex marriage and supports traditional marriage.”
Mr. Reisner and Mr. Weiderpass have been generous donors to gay political causes and charities, including the Empire State Pride Agenda and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center.
Mr. Cruz has been stepping up his efforts to connect with conservatives as the United States Supreme Court takes up the question of same-sex marriage. In a letter this month to thousands of pastors across the country, Mr. Cruz asked them to lead prayer services on April 28, when the justices hear arguments on same-sex marriage.
Mr. Cruz wrote to the ministers: “Will we discard an institution, ordained by God, which has brought so much stability and happiness to the human family? Or will we stand in its support?”
Correction: April 23, 2015
An earlier version of this article misstated Ian Reisner’s family connection to the Holocaust. He said that relatives were killed in the Holocaust; he did not say that his parents were killed. And because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the date of a Manhattan reception for Ted Cruz. It was Monday night, not Wednesday night.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/2...rike-different-tone-toward-gays.html?referer=
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And then there is this video/audio of him telling a supporter that fighting same-sex marriage will not be a priority with a Cruz admin. As a constitutionalist, he will leave such issues to the states to decide.
I suspect that a President Ted Cruz would be much different from Sen Ted Cruz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeRq_Y7wAvk
Cruz has campaigned on his position so I'm not at all sure about his gay donor/close friend and the other gay contacts. I'm undecided on this issue.
*****************
By MAGGIE HABERMAN
APRIL 23, 2015
Senator Ted Cruz has positioned himself as a strong opponent of same-sex marriage, urging pastors nationwide to preach in support of marriage as an institution between a man and a woman, which he said was “ordained by God.”
But on Monday night, at a reception for him at the Manhattan apartment of two prominent gay hoteliers, the Texas senator and Republican presidential hopeful struck quite a different tone.
During the gathering, according to two people present, Mr. Cruz said he would not love his daughters any differently if one of them was gay. He did not mention his opposition to same-sex marriage, saying only that marriage is an issue that should be left to the states.
The dinner and “fireside chat” for about a dozen people with Mr. Cruz and his wife, Heidi, was at the Central Park South penthouse of Mati Weiderpass and Ian Reisner, longtime business partners who were once a couple and who have been pioneers in the gay hospitality industry.
“Ted Cruz said, ‘If one of my daughters was gay, I would love them just as much,’” recalled Mr. Reisner, a same-sex marriage proponent who described himself as simply an attendee at Mr. Weiderpass’s event.
Mr. Reisner and Kalman Sporn, who advises Mr. Cruz’s Middle East team and served as the moderator for the evening, said the senator told the group that marriage should be left up to the states. The evening focused primarily on foreign policy, including a discussion of gay rights in Israel versus the rest of the Middle East, and opposition to President Obama.
An aide to Mr. Cruz, reached on Thursday, reiterated that the senator is opposed to same-sex marriage.
Mr. Cruz has honed his reputation as a grass-roots firebrand, and was strongly supportive of the Indiana religious exceptions law that was recently blasted as discriminatory by gay rights activists. When the law was attacked by major businesses like Walmart, he criticized the “Fortune 500’s radical gay marriage agenda.”
In Iowa a few weeks ago, Mr. Cruz said, ““The Fortune 500 is running shamelessly to endorse the radical gay marriage agenda over religious liberty to say, ‘We will persecute a Christian pastor, a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi. Any person of faith is subject to persecution if they dare disagree, if their religious faith parts way from their political commitment to gay marriage.’ ”
So the juxtaposition of Mr. Cruz being the guest of honor at a home owned by two of the most visible gay businessmen in New York City was striking. Mr. Cruz was on a fund-raising tour of New York City, although the dinner was not a fund-raiser.
Mr. Cruz also told the group that Peter Thiel, an openly gay investor, is a close friend of his, Mr. Sporn said. Mr. Thiel has been a generous contributor to Mr. Cruz’s campaigns.
Mr. Reisner said he and Mr. Weiderpass jointly own the duplex apartment where the event was held. He said that a third host, Sam Domb — another partner in their business who used to work with Rudolph W. Giuliani, a Republican and a former mayor of New York — was also a property owner there.
The three men are strong supporters of Israel, as is Mr. Cruz. Mr. Reisner, who said members of his family perished in the Holocaust, said Mr. Cruz’s foreign policy views were part of the appeal for people like Mr. Domb.
“Ted Cruz was on point on every issue that has to do with national security,” he said.
Mr. Weiderpass posted pictures of Mr. Cruz at his home on Facebook late Wednesday, including one of the senator and his wife posing with wait staff members from the dinner.
The apartment owned by Mr. Reisner and Mr. Weiderpass made headlines last October when a 23-year-old Brooklyn man died there of an apparent drug overdose.
Mr. Reisner said the event for Mr. Cruz was set up with Mr. Domb, Mr. Sporn and Mr. Cruz’s adviser Nick Muzin.
Mr. Reisner recently bought a commercial strip along the Fire Island Pines, which has been a mecca for gay vacationers for decades. He is also the face of Out NYC, a hotel near Times Square that caters primarily to a gay audience, including offering itself as a wedding destination. He and Mr. Weiderpass are partners at Parkview Developers.
Mr. Reisner, asked about the possible dissonance between his gay activism and being at an event for Mr. Cruz, said he did not agree with the senator on social issues. Same-sex marriage, he said, “is done — it’s just going to happen.”
In a statement later, Catherine Frazier, a spokeswoman for Mr. Cruz, said the senator had "stated directly and unambiguously what everyone in the room already knew, that he opposes same-sex marriage and supports traditional marriage.”
Mr. Reisner and Mr. Weiderpass have been generous donors to gay political causes and charities, including the Empire State Pride Agenda and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center.
Mr. Cruz has been stepping up his efforts to connect with conservatives as the United States Supreme Court takes up the question of same-sex marriage. In a letter this month to thousands of pastors across the country, Mr. Cruz asked them to lead prayer services on April 28, when the justices hear arguments on same-sex marriage.
Mr. Cruz wrote to the ministers: “Will we discard an institution, ordained by God, which has brought so much stability and happiness to the human family? Or will we stand in its support?”
Correction: April 23, 2015
An earlier version of this article misstated Ian Reisner’s family connection to the Holocaust. He said that relatives were killed in the Holocaust; he did not say that his parents were killed. And because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the date of a Manhattan reception for Ted Cruz. It was Monday night, not Wednesday night.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/2...rike-different-tone-toward-gays.html?referer=
*****************
And then there is this video/audio of him telling a supporter that fighting same-sex marriage will not be a priority with a Cruz admin. As a constitutionalist, he will leave such issues to the states to decide.
I suspect that a President Ted Cruz would be much different from Sen Ted Cruz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeRq_Y7wAvk