Hochul Harbors ‘Cuomonian Loathing’ For Social Conservatives

On September 18, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered remarks at the Clinton Global Initiative. The Governor’s comments focused heavily on “transgender” issues and their connection to a larger struggle for justice and equality that she perceives herself—and the Clinton Global Initiative—to be furthering.

There is good news and bad news about Gov. Hochul’s remarks. The good news is that Gov. Hochul was candid and clear about her ideology. The bad news is that the Governor possesses a warped and twisted notion of justice, has a Cuomonian loathing for people who disagree with her views, and appears to be disconnected from reality.

During her remarks, Gov. Hochul spoke of “dark forces,” “far-right extremists,” and “people whose hearts are filled with bigotry.” The Governor made it clear that she was referring to people who oppose her “transgender” agenda. In other words, she’s talking about Christians and other New Yorkers who happen to be social conservatives. This is what our governor thinks of us.

The truth is this: Christians love kids. We don’t want kids to be tricked into filling their bodies with opposite-sex hormones and undergoing harmful and irreversible surgeries as “treatments” for gender dysphoria. Instead, we want to help them get comfortable with their bodies as they are, recognizing that God made them male or female and that He knew exactly what He was doing. We also hate dishonesty. Telling young people that they can become members of the opposite sex is a lie, and a dangerous lie. Finally, we stand for justice and fairness. It’s not fair for teenaged girls to have to compete against teenaged boys in sports.  

In this commentary, Albany Update will share some quotations from Gov. Hochul’s lengthy remarks. We will also share our responses.

Gov. Hochul: Good morning. A frequently quoted line from Dr. Martin Luther King is, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” We’ve all heard that. But bending toward justice is not always predetermined. It’s not inevitable. Sometimes it takes some good people to make sure that happens. And time and time again, there have been dark forces that are trying to push it in the other direction. Who don’t have the same values that we believe describe what should be happening with this arc of justice.

Albany Update’s response: Gov. Hochul is right about two things: The world doesn’t inevitably move in the direction of justice, and there are “dark forces that are trying to push it in the other direction.” As you will see from the rest of her comments, however, the Governor is sadly confused about which side is which.  

Gov. Hochul: So, for years, we’ve been experiencing this underground sense that there is this hatred and people whose hearts are filled with bigotry and trying to exclude others because they don’t understand them and they’re just a little different. And for a long time, it stayed, it was here, but it was a little bit under the surface. But what we’re experiencing today is the coming out of those forces in a way that is just so reprehensible. But as I said, we have a lot of good people on our side, the ones that are going to keep pulling that arc of justice, the moral arc of the universe in the right direction.

Albany Update: Thus far in the speech, it’s not quite clear what or who the Governor is referring to when she speaks about “this underground sense that there is this hatred and people whose hearts are filled with bigotry.” That part comes later.

Gov. Hochul: That’s what the Clinton Global Initiative is all about. And I thank Chelsea Clinton for her role, extraordinary role in this. Continuing the legacy of President Clinton, Secretary Clinton. My God, what would this country be without leaders like that? Still today, gathering us, bringing us together. Pushing us to find answers and not accept the status quo. Or that that arc is going to continue on its own. I don’t want to say in the right direction, the left direction, which is the proper one.

Albany Update: The Clintons’ long and sordid record includes wrong stances on nearly every moral issue in American politics, a disgraceful impeachment trial arising out of President Clinton’s sexually predatory behavior, and the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 due to the Clinton-led State Department’s failure to recall personnel from a location that had become unsafe. It is remarkable that Gov. Hochul (or anyone else) would describe President Bill Clinton or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as forces helping to move the arc of the moral universe toward justice.

Gov. Hochul: We’re not here to have a nice policy discussion about, “How are things going?” We’re talking about change. Change is not words, it’s taking steps. That’s what I want to talk about here today. When we think about all of what’s going on. It’s a well-funded, coordinated effort to destroy the rights of the LGBTQ community, but particularly, and as a mom this is really hard, the attacks on our kids, our transkids, particularly. My God, don’t you have anything else to do? You’re picking on children? Picking on young people who are struggling internally themselves, trying to find themselves? Who am I? And yet the bigots and the far-right extremists are hell bent on keeping this up because they think it scores political points.

Albany Update: Over the past year or two, Christian organizations in other states have had a great deal of success passing bills to protect kids against harmful “transgender” medical treatments and to prevent girls’ sports from being unfairly infiltrated by biological males with gender dysphoria. Without a doubt, this is what Gov. Hochul means when she complains about people “picking on children” and engaging in “well-funded, coordinated effort to destroy the rights of the LGBTQ community.”

Gov. Hochul: But we’re so proud that 54 years ago, some really courageous people stood up and said, “We’re sick and tired. We just want to be together. We just want to dance. We want to have some fellowship, feel a kinship with other people that understand us. We just want to gather at a place called Stonewall.” And the battle raged, went on for days…we know here in New York, we have a special, special responsibility to make sure that the flames that started that day grow even higher.

Albany Update: Here, the Governor is speaking about the Stonewall Riots. In the summer of 1969, some LGBT individuals—angered at the poor treatment they reportedly received at the hands of police—engaged in a violent rebellion against law enforcement. The Stonewall Riots are often referred to as the beginning of the gay pride movement.

It’s important to understand that Gov. Hochul isn’t just proud that a gay pride milestone happened here in New York. She’s proud that a violent uprising happened here in New York.

Gov. Hochul: And that’s what we have to do. In New York, it starts here, and it spreads across the country. So, this is the stand up and fight back moment. This is it.

Albany Update: Gov. Hochul’s LGBT rhetoric sounds a lot like her abortion rhetoric. On both issues, the Governor sees herself as a national leader raising a beacon of light to inspire others to fight for justice. The problem is that she’s actually fighting for injustice.

Gov. Hochul: [We] are very focused on our trans, non-binary, and gender non-confirming communities because…50 percent of LGBTQ youth considered suicide, imagine that. Half of all the kids were thinking seriously that I’m better off dead than alive because it’s so hard to be alive. That hurts.

Albany Update: We’re not sure where the Governor is getting her figures from, but she is correct to be concerned about suicide in general and youth suicide in particular. Every human life is precious in God’s sight, and every person is made in God’s image.

Gov. Hochul: This is a place where there’s an intersection. An intersection where people that are marginalized come together in one. It also multiplies then. People that are vulnerable already and because they’re living their true self are exposed.

Albany Update: Here’s a key question for the Governor: How do you know that a person’s LGBT identity is that person’s “true self?”

Gov. Hochul: First of all, the issue of the day, the topic of the hour – out in all the other states, is how to stop people from getting their gender affirming care: “Oh, let’s not let that happen. That’s going to be the fall of civilization, right?” We made New York a safe haven. You come here; we’ll protect you. We’ll make sure that there are no prosecutions, no one gets sent back to your state. We’ll protect the doctors, the providers, the supporters, the family, and the individuals seeking this care. We said if you come here, other states won’t be able to touch you.

Albany Update: Gov. Hochul and the Legislature are dead wrong about their so-called “safe haven” policies. There is nothing “safe” about facilitating breast removal or genital removal for teenagers with gender dysphoria. Medical practitioners who engage in these practices should be incarcerated.

Gov. Hochul: We also set aside funding specifically for the trans community, the Lorena Borjas Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund. That’s to help particularly these communities, but very much so in the youth suicide prevention space. And I’ve met with these kids so many times… I feel compelled to [let] them know they matter to us. They’re important. They’ve got a great future. There’ll be a place for them.

Albany Update: It appears that the Governor—like many of her fellow travelers on the political left—sincerely believes that affirming young people’s LGBT identities is the right and charitable thing to do.

Gov. Hochul: You don’t understand the power that you have. It’s extraordinary. Just imagine, you get government, enlightened governments like here in New York, others follow. You get enlightened businesses, doing the right thing, others follow. All of a sudden, they add up the fact that there’s so much, so many more of us, the good people, trying to do the right thing, compared to the haters. And maybe someday we start driving the haters back underground where they belong. Until they have a change of heart, then you can come back up. But until that day, until that day, just keep it to yourself. Just keep it to yourself. You don’t have to tell us. You don’t have to make other people feel bad because you’re insecure yourself. That’s what it is. You’re threatened. You’re basically threatened.

Albany Update: No, that wasn’t a misprint. Our governor wants us to shut up. Unfortunately for her, we’re not going anywhere.

Gov. Hochul: Another child should not be born in the world who faces the kind of discrimination that members of our community receive today. It’s just not right.

Albany Update: Sadly, the rabidly pro-abortion policies of the Hochul administration will prevent many children from being born into the world at all.