Hello, Mayor Daley

New York City honors same-sex marriages

Last year, Mayor Daley of Chicago spoke out in favor of gay rights, telling listeners they should stop blaming gays and lesbians for their own marital problems. David Orr, Cook County Clerk, will give you a domestic partnership license for $30 and says he'd be happy to offer marriage licenses to same-sex couples if the law allowed it.

Mayor Bloomberg of New York has just done them one better, requiring the nation's largest city to respect the marriage and civil union licenses obtained by same-sex couples in other jurisdictions. I suppose this makes him an "Activist Mayor," in the parlance of the G.O.P.; were it not for the fact that Bloomberg is a nominal Republican himself, I'm sure Tom DeLay and John Cornyn would be making veiled threats on his life on the floor of Congress. But this marks the second time in a week that elected officials have pushed for broader rights for gays and lesbians; the Connecticut Senate passed a bill creating civil unions there last week as well. When rights are extended by elected officials, what does that do to the "activist judges are ruining America" argument?

So, Daley and Orr, the ball's in your court! Are you going to let Chicago be outdone by New York? By a Republican? Or are you going to show us all who's boss? Marriage--legal, the kind that means the same thing as anybody else's--could be just a flight to Toronto or Boston away for Cook County residents.