Subscribe to Breaking NewsWithers: Will NY follow NH?
What a difference a week makes (too bad Dinah Washington isn’t around to give us a rendition of her signature song). Seven days ago there was teeth gnashing over the California Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Prop 8 vote. Heck we even had some keyboard revolutionaries leaving messages here about how it’s time to either shoot straight people or burn a few churches (how is that going you little pink Mau Maus?).
Today there is nothing but jubilation. Yesterday New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch put his signature on a gay marriage bill and starting in 2010, same sex couples will be able to walk down the aisle in the Live Free or Die State. The happiness is well deserved because it proves what Dan Savage pointed out: we are winning.
Attention now turns to New York and there is conflicting data. State Sen.Tom Duane, who is leading the fight in Albany, says there are enough votes to pass same sex marriage legislation. This turned Duane’s colleague, Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., hissy and the anti-gay marriage advocate released a statement telling Duane to “shut-up” (Diaz has a history of press releases filled with operatic histrionics).
Wish I had a crystal ball that would show how the New York Senate will vote, but I have no idea what is going to happen. Nate Silver, over at 538.com, crunches the numbers and says it’s going to be a tough haul but nothing is definitive.
It makes my day to think like Nate.
PS: RIP Koko Taylor.
It seems to me that if this does not pass, we need to focus on getting just one seat replaced and it can be a weak republican or preferably a weak democrat, because it sends a message to the party and focus on getting that person ousted from their seat. Pick them off one by one. But if we do it once, I bet several other senators will suddenly have an epiphany for equality.
I believe marriage equality in NY has never been more possible. However I do agree with many of the comments about hard work, leveraging your vote and certainly your money. I am cautiously optimistic.
As a NY’er I’m quite pessimistic about the chances of same-sex marriage passing in the senate. However it goes the vote will certainly be close. New York is not as progressive as many seem to think. Within New York City their are the various ethnic communities in Brooklyn, Queens, and Bronx that have huge church going populations. Not to mention republican leaning Staten Island. Then there are the more conservative districts upstate.
It will take strong, active lobbying to get this passed. I believe there is no doubt marriage equality will come to NY. I’m just not certain it will happen this year. Until then, Connecticut is only a few miles away.
Withers Said: “Heck we even had some keyboard revolutionaries leaving messages here about how it’s time to either shoot straight people or burn a few churches”
I believe I am one of those that Withers referred to as Mr. Revolutionary after he indicted anyone suggesting direct action as being “punks or plants from the other side.”
The blog, or rather vapid troll-fare was titled “What do with anger over Prop 8?”, which as one commenter noted, the article contained no such answers.
Withers began by referring vaguely to “those who left notes here and at other places, talking [about] let’s go burn down a few churches, etc., etc…”
While making no particular citations himself that could be offered as background, I believe my only reference to war was in defense of “those who’d feel no remorse dropping napalm on treacherous politicians.”
I believe Wither’s malaise to follow stemmed from the fact that after lecturing pacifism from an online pulpit and essentially daring others to take direct action regardless of civil consequences, I listed the slew of riots from Watts to Los Angeles where blacks with legitimate frustration enacted civil insurgence that left scores of dead and millions in city damages. That this same class of people voted over 60% to uphold Prop 8 in a rush to elect a biracial president regardless of his politics is a matter for another discussion.
I then went on to contrast it to what “gays” consider a protest by pointing out that many had bands, music, laughing and dancing while wearing festive colors, invariably led by some orthodox member of our tribe prattling away on a microphone while a bucket is being passed to collect more money for lawyers to lose as long as it takes, measured in billable hours.
This, I suggested, is not a way to be taken seriously. Especially in contrast to any other protest.
I then concluded this admonishment by juxtaposing the divergent paths to civil rights and their differing efficacies, pointed out the blatant hypocrisy, and the MySpace-esque blog that passes for editorial opinion was so perfuse with cowardice and diffident mewling, that I believe I finally closed by voicing my perspective that the blogger was not unique but rather a “f***ing pacifist piece of s**t.”
Unable to address any of the glaring comparisons and their obvious corollaries, Withers regressed to callow pot-shots, which indicated an actual counter-position was not forthcoming.
Withers hath protested too much about people moving beyond the current failed formula of street parties mis-named “protests”. Somewhat comically, he seems to expect to be updated on any action to that effect, as though anyone wishing to further action beyond the limits of momentarily blocking traffic, ligation and kow-towing to politicians would feel some compulsion to keep James Withers abreast the very spirit he himself vociferously if somewhat spontaneously disdains.
Ultimately I have maintained since the early nineties, not last week, that direct action would move things faster with more dignity than the current formula of hiding behind lawyers and protesting with such gleeful exuberance that demonstrations are indistinguishable from street parties.
While this mentality is growing and causing the long awaited schism from the queer orthodoxy that has sold us such gems as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, it remains a minority voice, and it is indeed people like Withers and his fifth column ilk that wish to keep it stifled, as he explicitly notes, “shut up”.
As with the MLK riots, Watts & LA riots, he would be glad to reap the benefits of a minority taken seriously, just not enough to get his own hands dirty. To be sure, one could argue that the most powerful contribution to awakening black America that ever came out of Martin Luther King Jr.’s head was his cerebellum at about 3,000 feet per second.
The notion of direct action in our tribe is not new, however the orthodox-ran media has been quick to muzzle any such voice from emerging. To that end, those of us with a desire to win with dignity have found our worst enemies within, people like the blogger above.
As such; while distasteful and somewhat inelegant in its articulation, another review of the rationale posed concludes that there is an absence of any change in the wholly dispassionate estimation that James Withers still indeed remains a “f***ing pacifist piece of s**t.”
Thank you for your patient regards.
I’m still heading for Canada the land of the truely free…
Dinah Washington! How many people today remember this beautiful lady with a voice from heaven! No one today to compare with that golden voice.
We can do this in NY if it’s not for people like that bigot Reuben Diaz
NY, like IL and CA have an interesting dynamic. The major cities are pro-gay but the rest of the state is not. If it were up to New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles, marriage equality would have happened years ago. It’s difficult to educate people who almost seem to have “city-envy”, but the tide is slowly turning. It’s hard to say if it will work this time out or not, but this is the closest they’be been in some time, so I think its owrth pushing for a vote. At least, the people who voted against it will be on record and they can then be dealt with.
Unfortunately, as a long-time New York resident, I have to be much more pessamistic. Something like gay marriage will NEVER pass the state senate unless it is strongarmed by some powerful politician. Gov. Patterson is very weak; so too the Senate majority leader. (Don’t forget, New York is NOT a democracy; it is a very powerful oligarchy.) Until something changes, the best we can expect of New York is exactly what we got. (Have you ever seen the play/movie 1776? Never changes!) It’s not a Republican vs. Democrat thing in New York. It’s a power vacuum. So, get in your cars and drive to VT, Mass, of Conn. to get hitched. (Been there.) Better yet, move to Iowa!
I only hope Tom Duane is right. Its one thing to get others to “evolve” on this, but sometimes people on the fence often vote the way they usually vote at the 11th hour, few have a real change of heart. What if he’s been setup by the newcomers to vote yes and the end up shafting us. Its cynical yes, but hey, these are politicians we’re dealing with and I don’t trust most of them when its not politically expedient to vote away their careers.
I think the question boils down to whether Sen Malcolm Smith guaranteed his rival, Sen Ruben Diaz, that he wouldn’t bring any gay marriage legislation up for a vote this year in exchange for making Sen Smith the Senate majority leader. Rumors, rumors…
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/01/06/2009-01-06_sen_malcolm_smith_makes_albany_history.html
Gay Marriage passing in NY would be the PERFECT antidote to the negativity of the CA marriage situation. It CAN happen this time out, but it’s going to take some QUICK and intense work by NY’ers to put the pressure on and keep it on until a vote is taken.
It is important we make note of each and every politician set on denying our community equal rights in order that, as a community, we take action towards ousting them – in this case the bigot Diaz and his NYS cronies – come next election time. It is also important for our community to realize how much power we have, not in the way we cast our ballots, but in the way we spend our dollars. Our support of those States that have provided us with FULL marriage equality will have as great, if not greater, an impact than our votes.
Reuben Diaz is looking to milk his seat for more money and more local power. This has nothing to do with morality, it’s about his bigotry. Diaz is really saying–and the state Dem organization should take careful note–that he’s not fit to hold office outside the Bronx, and therefore not there or anywhere else. You don’t single out people who may be your constituents and demonize them simply because you feel like it. The word for somebody like Reuben Diaz is demagogue.
Diaz will do his best to see marriage equality in New York delayed if not defeated. He knows he’s on the losing side of history, and it’s time that he was called out for his bigotry. Sorry, but you don’t get to cry discrimination and then turn around and discriminate.
With New Hampshire now joining the ranks with New England, with the exception of Rhode Island, and NY being its bordering neighbor, I have a feeling that this will have a positive effect on how NY will vote.
I’ll guarantee you that Diaz was hoping that there would have been a glitch in New Hampshire’s legalizing same sex marriage.
After reading the article about the DC Clergy for Marriage yesterday, this article would have such a powerful and positive impact on NY’s decision or any other state’s decision in defense of same sex marriage. For the first time ever 135 DC clergy representing various churches and synagogues took a religious stand in support of same sex marriage based on religious belief. What needs to be done is to make this article available to all those that are on the fence struggling with whether to vote for or against same sex marriage.
Every little bit helps. Right?
All eyes are on NY. Good Luck!