Governor Hochul: "When you meet people who are so tough, and women who are so willing to break down all the barriers, stand up, and just fight like hell - those are the people I love the most, and that's who Edie was... And today we benefit and bask in the glory of the freedoms that she made possible for us by standing up so courageously."
Hochul: "This is a great day for us. But let me say, as much as we take these rights and these freedoms for granted in our state, let us not forget our fellow Americans living in states where the leaders are oppressing their rights, stripping their rights, making them feel less than human beings, less than having the full rights that every American is entitled to. So let's not forget them on a day like today. We stand up recommitted to the cause."
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks at the Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer Way street naming.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the event is available here.
PHOTOS of the event are available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Thank you everyone. Thank you. So great to be here. And Councilmember, thank you for that deeply personal introduction. But I bet if I was up in the Adirondacks when you were a kid and I had a chance to get to know you, I would've said, "Someday you are going to be Governor someday." So, thank you. Thank you for just breaking through the stereotypes and using your own life's challenges to be a place and a support for others. And you are an amazing leader, and I can't wait to see what you do next. So, let's give another round of applause to our great Councilmember Erik Bottcher.
Tish James, did I not say, "Don't put me after one of the most -" She always lights the room on fire even if we're outside in Washington Square. And I just saw her up in Buffalo. We marched together on Juneteenth. Literally one year after the massacre of my neighbors in a grocery store, and she was always showing up. She was there a year ago. She's been continuous. And what a great leader we have in her. And when you talk about the people that she terrorizes when they wake up in the morning, starting with Donald Trump. Okay. That's our woman. That's our leader. So, thank you.
A great leader in Congress, my great friend, former roommate in Washington, someone who embraced me when I had no chance in hell of winning a seat in Congress in the most Republican district in New York - Carolyn Maloney had my back. I want to recognize her for all she has done. Yes, indeed. My partners in government, Senator Hoylman, thank you, bringing half the family here today. Good to see you, Senator.
Rebecca Seawright. We've worked so closely together, Rebecca. And our Councilmembers who are here. Glennda Testone is here. Testone here. Let's see, the Executive Director of the LGBTQ Center and so many others.
I know what we want to do here today. I know you want me to just get that over with, I know. But first of all, happy birthday to Edie. Yeah, Happy Birthday, Edie. She would've been 94. She would've been 94 years old. I'm real quick at math. Chat GPT, how old is she? Not really.
But today is about love, the story of love - a love that started in this place in 1963 called Greenwich Village. And since that time, how many people have been able to fall in love and to marry the person they wanted to? It took a long time, my friends, way too long. I think about my Uncle Kevin, what he had to endure when he came home from the Vietnam War after serving, a short time in the priesthood until he realized his true identity.
It was tough for a lot of people for a long time - really, really hard. But I'm so proud to live at a time where at least in our state, we celebrate. We think about phrases like "Happy Pride." That's not just the month of June - we want "pride" to be a statement of who we are 365 days a year. We always want to be happy and proud and out. That's who we are as New Yorkers.
And sometimes it takes people of courage to stand up against the forces of their time, and that's exactly what Edie did in manifestation of her love to Thea. It's a beautiful story, one continued by someone else we all love. That's Judith. Thank you. Thank you, Judith.
I got a chance to know Edie too. I got a chance to know her too. I'm up in Buffalo. I still knew who she was. Okay. So that's how famous she was. But when you meet people who are so tough, and women who are so willing to break down all the barriers, stand up, and just fight like hell - those are the people I love the most, and that's who Edie was.
And she said, "I'm going all the way to the Supreme Court. So it's not just about me. It's about all the people who come after me." And today we benefit and bask in the glory of the freedoms that she made possible for us by standing up so courageously.
That is why I am so proud to be Governor of state where we have people like that, and Judith continuing that story, making sure that it is known around the world. And how do we do that? We name a place, a street, right here in New York City, following so many other famous individuals.
So this is a great day for us. But let me say, as much as we take these rights and these freedoms for granted in our state, let us not forget our fellow Americans living in states where the leaders are oppressing their rights, stripping their rights, making them feel less than human beings, less than having the full rights that every American is entitled to. So let's not forget them on a day like today.
We stand up recommitted to the cause. And saying, "Leave our children alone. Leave people alone. Get on with your own life. Don't you have enough to worry about?" So I'm not going to stand here and pick a fight with Florida and Texas today. Today we celebrate - well, that's what I do every other day.
But I do want to say, the legacy has been created and that legacy will continue to shine on as a reminder of what tough people - tough New Yorkers, tough women - are capable of doing. So their story will live on through this unveiling in a few moments.
And to all the LGBTQ people across our great state, thank you for making us so fascinating, so well-dressed, so extraordinary. You're valued, you're loved, and you, and like everyone across this country, will always be welcome here. This is your home.
So congratulations, everyone who made this day possible. To Judith, thank you. And let's go off and do what we're going to do. Alright, let's do it.