Dallas mayor won’t sign pledge but says gay couples should have the right to wed
Mike Rawlings
JOHN WRIGHT | Senior Editor
wright@dallasvoice.com
Although he declined to sign a pledge in support of same-sex marriage this week, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings declared Thursday, Jan. 19 that he personally supports the right of gay and lesbian couples to wed.
Rawlings has elected not to join a group of more than 75 mayors from across the country who’ve signed a pledge circulated by the group Freedom to Marry in conjunction with the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting this week in Washington, D.C.
Under fire from the LGBT community for not signing the pledge, Rawlings explained that since becoming mayor last year, it has been his policy to avoid partisan political issues or social debates that don’t directly impact city government.
“This one obviously was very difficult for me, because I personally believe in the rights of the gay community to marry,” Rawlings said Thursday in an exclusive interview by phone from Washington, where he was still attending the conference. “I think this [same-sex marriage] is way overdue and we need to get on with it, but that’s my personal belief, and when I start to speak on behalf of the city of Dallas … I’ve got to be thoughtful about how I use that office and what I want to impact, and that’s why I decided to stay away from endorsing and signing letters like that.”
Daniel Cates, North Texas regional coordinator for the LGBT direct action group GetEQUAL, responded that if Rawlings really supports marriage equality, he should sign the pledge, which was set to be formally released at a press conference Friday morning, Jan. 20.
“I think he’s doing the same thing that a lot of politicians do, and that’s saying what he needs to say to get the LGBT vote,” Cates said.
After Dallas Voice reported on its website Wednesday night that Rawlings didn’t plan to sign the pledge, Cates launched a Facebook page and an online petition encouraging people to contact the mayor by phone, email and fax, and ask him to change his mind.
Cates said he may also organize a marriage demonstration outside City Hall in February — but was still hoping Rawlings would reverse course and sign the pledge on Friday.
“If he supports us, we need him to put his money where his mouth is,” Cates said. “Otherwise what he’s proving to me, personally, is that he supports us when it’s going to get him votes or money.”
SIGN OF SUPPORT | Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings throws beads while riding on the city float in the 2011 gay Pride parade. (John Wright/Dallas Voice)
During his campaign last year, Rawlings said during a candidate forum that he voted against Texas’ 2005 constitutional amendment banning both marriage and civil unions. But before Thursday, the closest Rawlings had come to publicly endorsing same-sex marriage was in an interview with Dallas Voice during his campaign, when he said he felt the issue was “irrelevant” and “we should get beyond it and let people do what they want to do.”
Paula Blackmon, Rawlings’ chief of staff, said Thursday afternoon that 50 to 60 people had contacted the mayor’s office about the marriage pledge, with the vast majority saying he should sign it.
“People are communicating with us,” said Blackmon, who compared the public response to outcry over the city’s handling of the Occupy Dallas protests.
Rawlings said in addition to the LGBT community, he was getting pushback from his son and daughter, who he said were raised to reflect his personal beliefs about marriage equality.
“I’m catching a lot of grief in my family right now, just so you know, so I respect how people are feeling about this issue, and I understand it,” he said.
Other mayors who’ve signed the pledge include Michael Bloomberg of New York, Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, Annise Parker of Houston, Jerry Sanders of San Diego, Thomas Menino of Boston and Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles.
Jackie Yodashkin, a spokeswoman for Freedom to Marry, said the full list of mayors who’ve signed the pledge would be revealed during Friday’s press conference to kick off the campaign, called Mayors for the Freedom to Marry.
However, Yodashkin told Dallas Voice that as of Thursday, Houston’s Parker and Austin’s Lee Leffingwell were the only ones from Texas who’d signed the pledge. About 20 mayors from Texas, including Fort Worth’s Betsy Price, pre-registered for the Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, according to the website.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 20, 2012.
Thats it, 1st Rawlings votes for a map that Gerrymanders my area to go all the way down to the other side of town, and then this? One more strike and I’ll have to think about his approval rating.
How sad for this Republican that, even though he holds this political view, his culture is such that he has to be ashamed to say so openly and honestly.
The job of a mayor is to represent the city and the best interest of the city. Endorsing equal marriage is in the best interest of Dallas both economically and historically. Be on the right side of history, Mr Mayor.
“Officially”, Mayor Rawlings is just simply being politically correct. The Dallas power structure has always needed encouragement when it comes to local equality/discriminatory issues. At one time the State Fair of Texas discriminated against Dalas residents and visitors. Mayor Rawlings, I’m sure, understands that to stand up “officially” for equality for all of his residents would be risky, pioneering and politically incorrect. Maybe he’s “officially” more of a settler/wallbuilding kind of mayor instead of a pioneering/bridgebuilding kind of mayor!
Supporting an issue while not signing someone else’s petition is understandable. Rawlins is accountable to the citizens in the City of Dallas and not to one of the vast number of national political organizations such as Freedom To Marry. I understand his position and resistence to coersion.
Just to be clear for Sanders Kaufman, Mayor Rawlings is a Democrat who supported Obama last cycle. You can google has campaign donations.
Mike Rawlings is a not only a hypocrite….he is a coward! He rode a giant rainbow float and threw out beads at the Gay Pride parade and says the he supports marriage equality, however, he refuses to have his signature on something that supports what he supposedly believes in!
Mayor Mike is personally conflicted and offically evolving, like many other political leaders, on this equality for all issue!
Just in case you didn’t know Mike served on the Board for the Jesuit (Catholic) College Preparatory School. He is legislating morals based on his private personal beliefs instead of honoring his oath of office to protect our Constitutional Republic and the Legitimate Document he swore to uphold.
If you pay attention to all the closings of the public schools in Dallas his priorities for supporting Legislative Morality based on Catholic Views is clear. Watch, as these public schools close (where the children would be protected by Freedom of Religion and Separation of Church and State) though intentional financial crippling of the DISD system (Fraud Anyone?). Of Course the Private Religious Schools will be proposed as the answer (With City Financial Backing in some form hardly detectable to the public) so as to look like the “good guy” that provided a safe (yeah right) clean (because they have janitorial slaves) solution. These schools under the misunderstood guise of Freedom of Religion will then become breeding groups for hate and bigotry against its own students and the community abroad leaving no legal recourse or protection. Do we want to see Child Suicide Rates Rise? The DMN is obviously in league and isn’t it interesting that DMN location in Plano (3900 W Plano Pky, Plano, TX75075) is located in the middle of the following Catholic Schools: Prince of Peace Catholic School, All Saints Catholic School, Ark Preschool, John Paul II High School! WTF. Mr. McKenzie the columnist spearheaded the launch of Texas Faith, Jim Mitchell/Editorial Writer graduated from Loyola University –Catholic, Melody Townsel/Guest Blogger has DISD 5th Grader, active PTA member with her own PR firm and many many more. Catholics can lie to our face then receive a free pass for their sin from the foreign Government of The Vatican – Their leader! What as American’s do we think about being promised Virgins for killing Americans? Is this not the same type of HOME GROWN DOMESTIC TERROR we are trying to prevent? Interestingly enough AA (alcoholics anonymous) is stifling a large majority of our susceptible GLBTQ brothers and sisters that are trying to be from addiction by brain washing them to believe they cannot come together to discuss politics: THE TENTH TRADITION: “Alcoholics Anonymous has not opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.”
I would like it to be known that the Addictions and Social problems of these individuals are an “alleged” result of the drugs and alcohol provided to them by Agents of The Catholic Government! By the way the Baptist Congregations of Texas have relinquished their religious autonomy to this Foreign Government as well. Take These Government Officials to task make them honor their oath of office to preserve LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL! It’s time to turn the tide of our misfortune.
More than half of Americans say it should be legal for gays and lesbians to marry, a first in nearly a decade of polls by ABC News and The Washington Post. It’s time to open our sparkly glitter filled can of WOOP A$S!
Pigeon holing people to accept they are powerless is a shameful cowardly tactic and degrading form of manipulation. Addiction and suicide stems from isolation of like-minded individuals, a lack of knowledge and a false belief. You have had the power to heal yourself, heal the nation, and right the wrongs of this litigiously insidious UNDUE INFLUENCE. Let’s move ever closer to the defense of our Constitution and REFUSE TO GO BACK, ONE NATION INDIVISIBLE, and set aside the smaller squabbles that will be resolved when the RULE OF LAW consented to by THE GOVERNMENT is upheld.
The Mayor can “officially” throw trinkets at a parade but can’t/won’t sign a marriage equality pledge? Interesting times we are in!
Iamposterity–you appear to know very little about the authorities of municipal government in Texas, but I’ll explain it to you. The Mayor cannot “legislate morality” for the most part, nor can City Council. The Mayor’s signing a pledge would be a great show of support, but until the Supreme Court overturns anti-gay marriage laws or the people of Texas decide to quit being bigots and repeal the anti-gay marriage amendment, he cannot legislate anything. The Constitution that Mr. Rawlings must uphold, for now, bans gay people from marrying or entering into anything similar to marriage.
He also has absolutely no authority over DISD school closures. That, authority, surprisingly enough, belongs to the DISD Board of Trustees. The ‘Independent’ in Dallas Independent School District signifies that it’s outside mayoral or city control, and DISD covers something like 13 other municipalities as well. He also has absolutely no way to use city funds to pay for private education, as that’s illegal.
As for the Jesuit comments, it appears that you aren’t very familiar with Jesuit. Jesuit’s administration is very gay friendly and the board has not done anything to stop that. Now let the all-boys school jokes begin, I guess.
Your rambling, incoherent posts have added absolutely nothing to this conversation.