Gay businessmen apologize for co-hosting Ted Cruz event

Sen. Ted Cruz and Mati Weiderpass (Photo via Facebook)

Two gay hotel owners who co-hosted an event for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz have apologized after many in the LGBT community joined a call to boycott their properties for catering to a conservative politician who is staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage.

“I am shaken to my bones by the e-mails, texts, postings and phone calls of the past few days,” Ian Reisner, one of the hoteliers, wrote on Facebook. “I was ignorant, naive and much too quick in accepting a request to co-host a dinner with Cruz at my home without taking the time to completely understand all of his positions on gay rights.”

Reisner and his business partner, Mati Weiderpass, hosted a dinner on April 20 for Cruz at a Manhattan duplex they co-own.

“I’ve spent the past 24 hours reviewing videos of Cruz’ statements on gay marriage and I am shocked and angry,” Reisner continued. “I sincerely apologize for hurting the gay community and so many of our friends, family, allies, customers and employees. I will try my best to make up for my poor judgement. Again, I am deeply sorry.”

Weiderpass also posted an apology on Facebook.

“I share in Ian’s remorse,” he wrote. “I, too, lay humbled with what has happened in the last week. I made a terrible mistake. Unfortunately, I cannot undo this. You taught me a painful but important lesson. The people that know me know the work that I have done over the last 20 years for the advancement of gay rights. Today, I came to realize that I might have nullified my past efforts and accomplishments in just one week.”

Reisner and Weiderpass own The Out NYC hotel and Fire Island Pines resort. A Facebook page calling for a boycott of those properties had more than 8,000 likes late Sunday. A rally and demonstration outside The Out NYC was scheduled for Monday evening.

Cruz speaks at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition’s forum over the weekend. (Photo: Jim Young/Reuters)

Cruz recently introduced legislation — the Restoration of Marriage Amendment and the Protect Marriage From the Courts Act — to allow Americans to define marriage as a being between a man and a woman and to protect states that bar same-sex unions.

“Today’s Democratic Party has become so radicalized for legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states that there is no longer any room for religious liberty,” Cruz said in Iowa over the weekend. “We need leaders who will stand unapologetically in defense of the Judeo-Christian values upon which America was built.”

The Texas Republican and 2016 presidential candidate also called on a 100,000-pastor network to lead the nation in prayer while the Supreme Court hears arguments over gay-marriage bans. Those arguments are scheduled to begin Tuesday.

“On the eve of this momentous legal occasion at the Supreme Court,” Weiderpass added, “I dedicate myself to work even harder to advance our cause that I share with the LGBT community. Again, to all that I have hurt, please accept my sincerest apologies.”