Meet the Hypocrite of the year, Joseph W. McQuaid, publisher of the New Hampshire Union-Leader

Ken Williams - SDGLN Editor in Chief
October 25th, 2010

Joseph W. McQuaid, publisher of the New Hampshire Union-Leader in Manchester, N.H., is as conservative as they get.

From his bully pulpit as the head of New Hampshire’s largest newspaper, McQuaid is a powerful figure whose opinion carries a lot of weight in the Northeast. McQuaid is in the hot seat this week for banning gay wedding announcements in his paper even though marriage equality is the law of the land in New Hampshire.

The heat is so strong that he issued this statement:

"This newspaper has never published wedding or engagement announcements from homosexual couples. It would be hypocritical of us to do so, given our belief that marriage is and needs to remain a social and civil structure between men and women, and our opposition to the recent state law legalizing gay marriage.

                      Joe McQuaid Anti-Gay Bully (photo by Janet Kayson)

That law was not subject to public referendum and the governor (John Lynch) who signed it was elected after telling voters that he was opposed to gay marriage. Indeed, in no state where the public has been allowed a direct vote on the subject has gay marriage prevailed.
We are not "anti-gay."

We are for marriage remaining the important man-woman institution it has always been.While the law sanctions gay marriage, it neither demands that churches perform them or that our First Amendment right to choose what we print be suspended. In accordance with that right, we continue our longstanding policy of printing letters to the editor from New Hampshire citizens, whether or not they agree with us."

Sorry to break the news to you, Mr. McQuaid, but you are anti-gay. If you oppose gay rights, you are anti-gay. If you oppose marriage equality, you are anti-gay. If you refuse to print gay wedding announcements in a state where gays and lesbians can legally marry, you are anti-gay.

You are our Hypocrite of the Week.