Hedge fund managers Peter Thiel of Clairum Capital Management and Paul Singer of Elliott Management are joining with prominent Republican political operative Ken Mehlman to host a fundraiser to support gay marriage.
The fundraiser, for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, will be held on Wednesday, September 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Singer’s New York City home. Tickets are $5,000 per person.
The American Foundation for Equal Rights is challenging Proposition 8, California’s ballot proposition and constitutional amendment stating that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid in the state. The foundation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Singer and Thiel will co-chair the fundraiser with Mehlman, the former head of the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign and the former Republican National Convention chair, who went public with his homosexuality on August 25. The foundation has already raised more than $1 million for the fundraiser. In an interview with The Advocate, Mehlman praised Singer for being the lead donor.
Other prominent Republicans co-hosting the event include Mary Cheney, Dick Cheney’s daughter; Margaret Hoover, political commentator and great-granddaughter of Herbert Hoover; and Steve Schmidt, a campaign strategist and public relations employee for the Republican Party. Mark Wallace, founder of Tigris Financial Group; and John Podesta, the fourth and final Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton, are among the other hosts.
—Suzy Kenly