Comments on: Vanasco: Gay marriage used as bait in NY Senate

By: David

David — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:42:44 +0000

I’d actually prefer that they vote on marriage equality, keywords be damned.

By: Lindsay Williams

Lindsay Williams — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:22:22 +0000

As a gay man who has always wanted marriage equality when the time is right, I think the blame for this unfolding fiasco should be laid at the feet of the d**n traditionalist, assimilationist neo-conservatives within our movement who have hijacked the L/G/B/T civil rights struggle for their own purposes. You know the type— two guys with their 2.3 kids living in suburbia who want to legalize their relationship so they can be just like their straight neighbors. To heck with the fact that 30 of the 50 states still do not have a basic non-discrimination law in place that bars discrimination in employment and housing, they would say!!! We want our marriage rights now instead!!!

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:04:28 +0000

Civil Union is fine with me. My partner and I registered 6 years ago, and he has every right that comes with it. Marriage would be good, though, at this time, I don’t see it happening.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:27:20 +0000

Who cares?

The Democrats deserve none of my support. If M. Smith was worth a penny, he would have had a solid majority for passing same sex marriage from the beginning.

Ruben Diaz is the real enemy. He should have been drummed out of the Democrat Party long ago. He is the real reason that same sex marriage did not pass.

Ruben Diaz and those like him need to go.

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:27:40 +0000

Any controversial legislation or political action succeeds only when some quid pro quo deal is made behind closed doors. This is exactly how Espada suddenly became President of the NYS Senate; he brokered a deal with the Repub minority in return for his betrayal of Democratic ideals. Ultimately, this is how the marriage equality bill will get passed in NY; unfortunately, Tom Duane is impotent to broker any such a deal to guarantee passage of the marriage equality bill this session. So it is probably best not to bring the bill to a floor vote until there are enough Senators who support it because a defeat now will make it harder to justify reintroducing it in future legislative sessions, and a defeat in NY will have a reverberating negative psychological impact on the momentum for marriage equality across the nation, just like the passage of Prop 8 in CA. Besides, Tom Duane already knows where each Senator stands on this issue, whether or not they have made their positions public; we don’t need another up and down vote to know this. What needs to be done is to elect more pro-marriage equality Senators to the NYS Senate and kick out Dems like Espada, Monserrate, and Diaz, as well as those Repubs who are against it.

By: Hank

Hank — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:52:02 +0000

What’s happened in Albany is nothing less that a selfish power grab by the loser Repubs and their two Dem henchmen. They have no intention of debating marriage equality or any other issue with their “coalition.” To those who think this was a good move because it could finally result in a vote on marriage equality, I say the ends do not justify the means. I want to see marriage eqaulity debated and hopefully passed in NY, but not at the cost of the Repubs controlling the NYS Senate. Whether or not marriage equality is realized in NY, gays still have to live in this State and are affected by the actions (and antics) of the NYS Senate. The Repubs controlled the NYS Senate for the past 40 years and accomplished nothing in the way of socially progressive legislation. Having them control the Senate again is bad news for all NYers and a death blow to marriage equality! Monserrate, Espada, and Diaz should all be run out of the Senate on a rail by the other Dems; they have betrayed the gay community and all NYers with their selfish behavior, all for the sake of power!

By: Cody Orr

Cody Orr — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:33:19 +0000

As llong as there concidering gay marraige im all for it

By: rickwood

rickwood — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:43:29 +0000

agree w Tom C. – don’t give in; boycott!

By: Tom C.

Tom C. — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:32:08 +0000

It won’t pass. Better to not have a quorum. I say “stay home.”

By: tjr

tjr — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:42:23 +0000

There is no way the Republican party in NY will alienate their base and pass same-sex marriage. This is all politics as usual. They will get the Dems to show up to legitimize their leadership and vote down same-sex marriage. It can’t get more scummy than this.