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Loading ...NY conservatives vow to thwart gay marriage bill
11.10.2008 11:22am EST
(Albany, New York) Republicans and conservative Christian pastors are vowing to block any attempt by New York State’s new Democratic majority to pass marriage equality legislation for gay and lesbian couples.
Legislation to allow same-sex marriage was thwarted in the state Senate earlier this year by a GOP majority after passing the Assembly. Last Tuesday’s election, however, saw Democrats take a slim majority in Senate – prompting hope the bill will be passed in 2009. Gov. David Paterson (D) has said he would sign the bill if it is passed.With only a two seat majority in the Senate, however, any Democratic bid to revive a marriage equality bill could be opposed by socially conservative members of the party.
Four conservative Democrats already are reportedly considering an alliance with the GOP to oppose the bill. One of the four, Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx) already has met with the Senate Republican leadership.
“I think there’s at least four or five Democrats who wouldn’t support it,” said the Rev. Duane Motley, founder of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, which opposes gay marriage.
Motley said his group represents more than 2,000 evangelical churches and 500 other Christian organizations statewide.
At least one Republican favors gay marriage.
Even theleader of the Senate’s Democratic Caucus, who supports gay marriage, said the bill will likely be on the back burner in 2009. Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) said his first priority will be the state’s fiscal crisis, followed by job creation upstate.
Still, Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York’s largest gay rights advocacy group, said it is a question of when, not if, same-sex marriage becomes legal in New York.
In 2006, the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, ruled that same-sex couples do not have a constitutional right to marry. It said that the issue, however, could be taken up by the legislature.
A bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in New York passed the Democrat-controlled Assembly last year, but Republicans who then controlled the Senate refused to consider the legislation.
A Quinnipiac poll in June showed New Yorkers split over gay marriage, with 42 percent saying same-sex couples should be allowed to legally marry, 31 percent saying they should be allowed to form civil unions but not marry, and 21 percent saying there should be no legal recognition of same-sex unions.
However, 53 percent of voters supported Paterson’s order to state agencies to recognize same-sex marriages performed outside New York, while 40 percent disapproved.
“New York is fairly liberal on this. If you didn’t have a fiscal crisis and you had a nice even-toned, even landscape for politics, maybe you could do it,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “You never know, but I can’t believe that the Senate leadership would want to get embroiled in this when they’ve got tough mainstream things to do. This is a social issue with a lot of emotion.”
New York is one of at least five states where same-sex marriage bill are expected to be introduced in the new legislative sessions. The others are New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maryland.
Come on you guy’s in NY. Don’t let what happened in California happen there too.
I want to marry my partner of 28 years and see NYC at the same time!!!
So the NY legislature can only do one thing at a time like McCain?
Are the people of the US so dumb and ignorant thay can ONLY single-thread one idea at a time? Do the schools now teach this same philosophy — “one event at a time”?
Even Obama says he will have to multi-task.
I just don’t get it.
Oops! … I am sorry, I gues it is discrimination with an excuse … and a mighty poor one at that.
The fight is on folks! This is one Long Islander who is mad as hell at my fellow so-called Americans in California, Arkansas, Florida, and Arizona.
And I am really pissed at the Black and Latinos who voted against us in CA – what are you thinking? This is the thanks we get for supporting civil rights for all!
You should be ashamed of yourselves.
We must unite under the banner of Dr. King; lest we forget, Mrs Coretta Scott King supported the Gay community and understood that equal is NOT a divisible word.
As the the phony-Christians – the fight is on. You who have perveted Christ’s name for centuries to justify bigotry – you days are over.
Long Island has now two Democratic State Senators out of nine; it only took 104 years for Suffolk County to realise that they were being sold a cheap bill of goods.
Gay men and women of NY: organize, organize, organize. Enough of silence, enough of bickering, and no more in-fighting. These times demand common cause; are we up to the challenge?
What we need to do is to warn any tax-exempt religious groups interfering in the outcome of legislation that we will fight back by demanding that their tax-exempt status be removed. It is illegal for any religious group to be advocating for and financing campaigns to influence the outcome of legislation. We too should have our own proposition in every state election to demand that this is implemented. If they can do it, so can we. An explanation should also be appended as to the rights of the majority over the minority whose rights should never be taken away, guaranteed by the constitution, something that the California proposition ignored.
Why don’t the Reptilicans and Co. find themselves a nice rock to crawl under, curl up with their lizard-like tails, and leave us the hell alone. The LGBT community has more important things to do, like AIDS care and AIDS prevention and education and social services for LGBT seniors, etc. etc. etc.; we have a finite amount of money and energy to devote to this never-ending battle with the purveyors of hate and religious bigotry. Perhaps an Obama Supreme Court will settle the matter once and for all. Let us PRAY the other side can’t win a vote for a FEDERAL anti-marriage-equality amendment to the US Constitution. THAT could take GENERATIONS to undo.
Bud Burgood-Clark
legally married in San Diego
(for NOW)
Religious thugs are disgusting, slimy creatures. You never know what rock they’ll slither out from under next.
Burt in response to your letter,,note that the party mentioned is not the Republicans but the Democrats saying they won’t support us! Me personally they can have there partnerships that they call marriage,the fight is over and they won.
Randy,
You can’t be serious?!
“I think there’s at least four or five Democrats who wouldn’t support it,” said the Rev. Duane Motley, founder of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, which opposes gay marriage.”
And, catch the name of that group..NY’ers for Constitutional Freedoms who OPPOSE…now that’s a group that needs to be taken to the mat! The fight is just now beginning Randy! Get on board and let’s do this damn thing! This sort of ignorance from these groups will not stand for long. The people will rise up, and the numbers will astonish the groups who are railing against us. We are legion.
We in New York state need to start targeting these homophobic senators in the next election. It’s unconscienable to have churches dictate civil rights. Didn’t they already make enough of a mess of it when the issue was slavery!
In regards to Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx)….Where is a weatherman Underground Bomber when you need one?
“I think there’s at least four or five Democrats who wouldn’t support it,” said the Rev. Duane Motley, founder of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, which opposes gay marriage.
So…. “Constitutional Freedoms”.. being that the Constitution specifically says that all men are created equal, should not gays be truly equal and be entitled to the right to marry? My sister’s husband is, after all, my “Brother-in-LAW”, and the law is to apply equally to all… Two steps forward with President-Elect Obama, one back for gay rights.
Hopefully New York will lead the way that California has forsaken, and be the first state to protect its minority citizens.
What is interesting is that Alan Van Cappelle endorsed Joseph Addabbo for senate even thought Addabbo is on record as against gay marriage. you are an idiot van cappelle. what were you thinking. you sold us out.
“…New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, which opposes gay marriage.”
Talk about Orwellian. Should be “New Yorkers Against Liberty and Justice for All”.
Duane Motley = un-American scum. Another self-righteous busybody who thinks he knows the mind of God.
If it isn’t obvious by now, it should be clear to everyone that our worst enemy is organized “religion”–not political party, not ethnicity, not sexual orientation.
Sounds like 4 or 5 state senators need to have a large contingent of protesters standing outside thier homes for a few weeks to help them see the light.