Ted Cruz is guest of 2 gay businessmen
Sen. Ted Cruz has positioned himself as a strong opponent to same-sex marriage, urging pastors nationwide to preach in support of marriage as an institution between a man and a woman, which he said was “ordained by God.”
But on Monday night, at a reception for him at the Manhattan apartment of two prominent gay hoteliers, the Texas senator and Republican presidential hopeful struck quite a different tone.
During the gathering, according to two people present, Cruz said he would not love his daughters any differently if one of them was gay. He did not mention his opposition to same-sex marriage, saying only that marriage is an issue that should be left to the states.
The dinner and “fireside chat” for about a dozen people with Cruz and his wife, Heidi, was at the Central Park South penthouse of Mati Weiderpass and Ian Reisner, longtime business partners who were once a couple and who have been pioneers in the gay hospitality industry.
“Ted Cruz said, ‘If one of my daughters was gay, I would love them just as much,’ ” recalled Reisner, a same-sex marriage proponent who described himself as simply an attendee at Weiderpass’ event.
Reisner and Kalman Sporn, who advises Cruz’s Middle East team and served as the moderator for the evening, said the senator told the group that marriage should be left up to the states. The evening focused primarily on foreign policy, including a discussion of gay rights in Israel versus the rest of the Middle East, and opposition to President Barack Obama.
An aide to Cruz, reached Thursday, reiterated that the senator is opposed to same-sex marriage.
Cruz has honed his reputation as a grassroots firebrand, and was strongly supportive of the Indiana religious exceptions law that was recently blasted as discriminatory by gay rights activists. When the law was attacked by major businesses like Wal-Mart, he criticized the “Fortune 500’s radical gay-marriage agenda.”
In Iowa a few weeks ago, Cruz said, “The Fortune 500 is running shamelessly to endorse the radical gay marriage agenda over religious liberty to say, ‘We will persecute a Christian pastor, a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi. Any person of faith is subject to persecution if they dare disagree, if their religious faith parts way from their political commitment to gay marriage.’ ”
So the juxtaposition of Cruz being the guest of honor at a home owned by two of the most visible gay businessmen in New York City was striking. Cruz was on a fundraising tour of New York City, although the dinner was not a fundraiser.
Cruz also told the group that Peter Thiel, an openly gay investor, is a close friend of his, Sporn said. Thiel has been a generous contributor to Cruz’s campaigns.
Reisner said he and Weiderpass jointly own the duplex apartment where the event was held. He said a third host, Sam Domb – another partner in their business who used to work with Rudy Giuliani, a Republican and a former mayor of New York – is also a property owner there.
The three men are strong supporters of Israel, as is Cruz. Reisner, who said members of his family perished in the Holocaust, said Cruz’s foreign policy views were part of the appeal for people like Domb.
“Ted Cruz was on point on every issue that has to do with national security,” he said.
Weiderpass posted pictures of Cruz at his home on Facebook late Wednesday, including one of the senator and his wife posing with wait staff members from the dinner.
The apartment owned by Reisner and Weiderpass made headlines in October when a 23-year-old Brooklyn man died there of an apparent drug overdose.
Reisner said the event for Cruz was set up with Domb, Sporn and Cruz’s adviser Nick Muzin.
Reisner recently bought a commercial strip along the Fire Island Pines, which has been a mecca for gay vacationers for decades. He is also the face of Out NYC, a hotel near Times Square that caters primarily to a gay audience, including offering itself as a wedding destination. He and Weiderpass are partners at Parkview Developers.
Reisner, asked about the possible dissonance between his gay activism and being at an event for Cruz, said he did not agree with the senator on social issues. Same-sex marriage, he said, “is done – it’s just going to happen.”
In a statement later, Catherine Frazier, a spokeswoman for Cruz, said the senator had “stated directly and unambiguously what everyone in the room already knew, that he opposes same-sex marriage and supports traditional marriage.”
Reisner and Weiderpass have been generous donors to gay political causes and charities, including the Empire State Pride Agenda and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center.
Cruz has been stepping up his efforts to connect with conservatives as the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the question of same-sex marriage. In a letter this month to thousands of pastors across the country, Cruz asked them to lead prayer services on April 28, when the justices hear arguments on same-sex marriage.
Cruz wrote to the ministers: “Will we discard an institution, ordained by God, which has brought so much stability and happiness to the human family? Or will we stand in its support?”