Civil Marriage Pioneer Mayor Jason West to Visit Connecticut

Green Party of Connecticut
www.ctgreens.org

Thornton for Governor
www.votethornton.com
For more information, contact Ken Krayeske, 860-995-5842

October 23, 2006

HARTFORD _ Jason West, the Mayor of New Paltz who broke NY state law to marry 25 same-sex couples in front of a cheering crowd two years ago, will make three stops in Connecticut Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006. Press are invited.

• From 2 to 3 p.m., Mayor West will speak at Javapalooza on Main Street in Middletown, CT

• From 4:45 to 6:15 p.m., Mayor West will be at Tisane’s on 537 Farmington Ave. in Hartford.

• From 7 to 8 pm, Mayor West will speak at the New Haven Public Library's program room (on the Green).

At all three stops, West will discuss his vision of civil marriage as a human right. After the mass civil marriage ceremony, West was charged with two dozen misdemeanors, which a court later dismissed. Of course, the state appealed the ruling, and so the fight for equal rights for all people goes on.

In August 2005, West, a Green Party member, published the book “Dare to Hope: Saving American Democracy.” Amazon.com wrote that “Jason West has become a political force for his generation. With logic, charm, and conviction, he has used his platform as mayor of New Paltz, New York, to present a radical vision of human rights. This book is his manifesto. West has received the most press for marrying same-sex couples (and is defendant in numerous lawsuits for solemnizing without a license). But he sees the issue of gay marriage in the context of civil rights, basic equality under the law, which he extends to fair housing, property taxes, and energy use.”

The CT Green Party’s Thornton for Governor campaign is sponsoring West’s visit, in the hopes that bringing a pioneer like Jason West to the Nutmeg State puts the issue of Civil Marriage in the forefront of this year’s gubernatorial election.

For more information, contact Ken Krayeske, 860-995-5842 or email ken@votethornton.com