The Giuliani Files

"The big, big question is: If Giuliani becomes president, which Giuliani will he be on our issues? The Giuliani we knew as mayor? Or the Giuliani we're seeing as a candidate for president?"

Alan Van Capelle
Washington Post, Nov. 27, 2007

Rudy Giuliani was Mayor of New York City from 1994 – 2001.* During his time as Mayor, he worked with NYC’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to advance a number of important civil rights issues. While the LGBT community often differed with Mayor Giuliani, it also agreed with him in a number of critical areas and was able to work with him to achieve real gains that improved our lives and those of our families.

Not only did Giuliani show a willingness to engage in a dialogue with the LGBT community, he:

took part in the annual NYC Pride March and held annual Pride celebrations at Gracie Mansion where he lived as Mayor

established and funded a Hate Crimes Task Force in 2000 so the City could fully investigate and prosecute bias cases

was one of the first Republicans in New York to publicly support a statewide and federal hate crimes bill that included violence motivated by anti-gay hatred

supported the passage of a statewide sexual orientation non-discrimination bill

maintained $1.5 million in funding in the City’s budget for the LGBT community center’s capital campaign

made high-level appointments of openly LGBT people to his administration

signed domestic partner legislation in 1998 that at the time was the strongest such bill of its kind in the nation

While as a candidate for President, Giuliani has distanced himself from most of his earlier positions on LGBT issues, the documents and video clips that follow portray the Rudy Giuliani that earned him the “pro-gay” label he still carries with him today in his race for the U.S. Presidency. For specifics on how and when Giuliani walked away from his earlier positions on LGBT issues go to our blog "The Agenda" here and here.

Letter from Mayor Giuliani to the Pride Agenda promising to propose and pass a domestic partnership bill (October 1997)

Mayor Giuliani promises the Pride Agenda he will end discrimination against domestic partners by extending to them all the rights, benefits and protections the City provides to married persons. Giuliani reiterates several times in the letter his commitment to having government treat domestic partners the same as married persons.

Hate Crime Announcement from Mayor Giuliani (March 2000)

Mayor Giuliani announces the establishment of a Hate Crimes Task Force to reduce the number of hate crimes and enhance hate crimes investigations and prosecutions in NYC. He also calls for the state legislature to pass a statewide hate crimes law (which it did later in 2000) and the U.S. Congress to do the same on the federal level (both the House and the Senate have done so this year).

Letter co-signed by Mayor Giuliani to President Bush regarding same-sex domestic partners and the September 11 federal victims’ compensation fund (November 2001)

Mayor Giuliani co-signs a November 2001 letter with Governor Pataki and Attorney General Spitzer to President Bush asking that he treat domestic and life partners the same as spouses in terms of eligibility for the September 11 victims’ compensation fund. Giuliani and the other co-signers specifically ask President Bush to recognize same-sex surviving partners as family when determining eligibility for the fund.

NY1 clip of Mayor Giuliani addressing attendees at the Pride Agenda’s 1996 Fall Dinner

This clip shows NYC’s LGBT community supporting and disagreeing with Mayor Giuliani at the Pride Agenda’s 1996 Fall Dinner in NYC, one of the nation’s largest annual LGBT rights fundraisers. The issue of the Rainbow Curriculum in NYC schools is raised, which Giuliani didn’t support, and openly gay Giuliani appointee Christopher Lynn talks about Giuliani’s support for hate crimes and sexual orientation non-discrimination legislation.

NY1 clip of Mayor Giuliani signing the 1998 NYC Domestic Partnership Bill into law

This clip shows Mayor Giuliani signing into law the City’s groundbreaking domestic partnership legislation. The Pride Agenda brokered a commitment from Giuliani the previous year to get it passed. Giuliani says the bill “will help to move society more in the direction of equal treatment for everyone.” Then-NYC Councilmember Tom Duane asks the Mayor to keep an open mind about marriage for same-sex couples and a local Log Cabin representative states the bill will be helpful to Giuliani in a run for the U.S Senate but not for the Presidency.

Pride Agenda footage of Mayor Giuliani’s October 4, 2001 Fall Dinner address

Less than one month after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Mayor Giuliani addresses over 1000 LGBT people at the Pride Agenda’s 2001 Fall Dinner in midtown Manhattan. He pays tribute to openly gay Mark Bingham who played a lead role in preventing terrorists in the plane that went down in Pennsylvania from reaching their target in Washington, DC and praises the Pride Agenda for “moving our society to a greater level of understanding of what our liberty is all about.”

Before Giuliani begins his remarks, the possibility of his appearing in drag on the cable television show “Queer as Folk” is mentioned by his introducer, Pride Agenda Co-Chair Jeff Soref. This appearance marks the second time Giuliani has given a major address at the Pride Agenda Fall Dinner in NYC.

*The Pride Agenda endorsed David Dinkins for Mayor against Rudy Giuliani in 1993 and made no endorsement in 1996 when Giuliani ran for re-election.