Ossining Mayor Optimistic about Supreme Court Decision on Gay Marriage

After months of deliberation, the Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8 within the next two weeks.

Many, including Ossining’s openly gay mayor William Hanauer, are confident that the decision will extend greater equality in the country.

“I am optimistic something positive will come [of the decision],” Hanauer said. “The court is aware of how discriminatory DOMA is and how discriminatory the California ruling was.”

Part of the mayor’s optimism stems from how far civil rights have come in this country, Hanauer said. He remembers the Stonewall riots in 1969, when the question of marriage equality didn’t even exist.

“Back then there was never even the immediate dream of equal rights—that was a long-term goal,” Hanauer said. “All that we hoped for then was that people’s lives weren’t ruined for being who they were.”

Today, however, Hanauer says a lot has changed.

“It is no longer acceptable to discriminate against gay people, or anyone else for that matter,” he said.

During his public service career in Westchester, Hanauer says he has never felt the need to hide his personal life, and he knows that the people of Ossining see him as more than “that gay mayor.”

“I think the people of Ossining are very much attuned to the fact that my personal life is not the issue that needs to be discussed,” Hanauer said. “What needs to be discussed are pot holes, fracking, taxes, and bettering the lives of ourselves and our children.”

Hanauer and his partner of 39 years were married last June, and the mayor says residents, acquaintances and strangers still approach him to offer congratulations.

If Hanauer and his partner were to move to a state where gay marriage was not legal, though, the congratulations would not be the only thing lost. Their marriage would also not be recognized by that state, as backed by DOMA.

DOMA, as it now stands, also denies survivor benefits, tax breaks and health insurances for same-sex spouses of federal employees. Marital status is relevant in 1,100 federal laws, a status that cannot be attained by gay Americans today.

But Hanauer says public opinion could pave the way for change.

“I think we’ve seen a changing attitude across the country,” he said.

Despite the prospect of an outcome unfavorable to him, Hanauer remains vigilant.

“One must never stop fighting for equal rights for everybody,” he said. “Nobody should be discriminated against.”