Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani famously crashed at a gay couple's luxurious midtown Manhattan apartment when his own marriage fell apart in 2001--and then skipped out on the couple's Connecticut nuptials in 2009, even though he'd RSVP'd "Yes".
It was a diss many saw in direct relation to Giuliani's gay marriage opposition. The moderately conservative former mayor has publicly been in favor or civil unions, but never gay marriage.
And today the New York Post reports Giuliani seems to have reneged on an offer he made to the friendly couple, Howard Koeppel and Mark Hsiao, to preside over their New York vows if same-sex marriage were ever legalized in the state-- which, of course, it was last Friday. One of the perks of being a former Mayor of New York City is that you can still legally perform weddings even if you're no longer in office. (Another perk -- getting to wear a tuxedo every day, no matter what).
From the Post:
"I asked if he would marry us," recalled Howard Koeppel, the unlikely provider of an emergency Midtown crash pad to Giuliani for six months when his marriage to Donna Hanover was crumbling and Gracie Mansion was a war zone.
"He said, 'Howard, I don't ever do anything that's not legal. If it becomes legal in New York, you'll be one of the first ones I would marry.' "
Ten years later, Koeppel is distressed that his former house guest hasn't returned the many calls he began making before the legislation was passed last week.
"It seems like a lot of people he was close to become persona non grata," Koeppel observed.
Giuliani, who has not ruled out running for President in 2012, reacted to New York's Marriage Equality Act on Monday, telling NBC News, "I'm glad the people that felt discriminated against had that sort of burden of discrimination lifted," but then stopped short of fully supporting the bill, adding, "I still favor marriage as being defined between a man and a woman but I completely understand what people are striving for," he added. "But I was very glad to see people relieved of this burden of discrimination, which is a terrible thing to feel."
Howard Koeppel seemed angry at Giuliani, according to the Post, wondering why the mayor wouldn't perform a now legal ceremony. "He wouldn't be married three times if he was holier than thou," he said.
A political consultant speculated to the Post that if the mayor presided over the wedding it would signify that "he's no longer interested in running [as a Republican] for president -- ever", something Giuliani, it seems, is not ready to do.