A vote in the New York State Senate on gay marriage may take place soon.
Supporters of the bill (who include Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg) believe that they currently have 31 votes in the 62 seat Republican-controlled Senate and therefore require only one more Republican senator to change their vote for the bill to pass (assuming the Republicans allow a vote).
Both Republican and Democrat senators are being subjected to significant pressure by Catholic, Pentecostal and Jewish groups urging them to reject the bill, although several Republican Senators seem to be on the verge of supporting the bill if they can be satisfied as to protections for religious groups.
The Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York released a statement which included the following:
Last time I consulted an atlas, it is clear we are living in New York, in the United States of America – not in China or North Korea. In those countries, government presumes daily to “redefine” rights, relationships, values, and natural law. There, communiqués from the government can dictate the size of families, who lives and who dies, and what the very definition of “family” and “marriage” means.
But, please, not here! Our country’s founding principles speak of rights given by God, not invented by government, and certain noble values – life, home, family, marriage, children, faith – that are protected, not re-defined, by a state presuming omnipotence.
The conduct of some of those opposing gay marriage has been unpleasant:
Some lawmakers have been quite explicit about their frustration with some opponents of same-sex marriage. Senator Diane J. Savino, Democrat of Staten Island, taped a handwritten sign outside her legislative office this week that said, “Bigots and homophobes please put your literature here,” with an arrow pointing to a box lid on the ground.
On her Facebook wall Ms. Savino wrote, “If you could see and hear some of the rhetoric you would appreciate my sign.”
The reason for this, I suspect, is that they know this vote will be close, that they do not have the upper hand, and that a decision to implement gay marriage in New York would be a significant moral and strategic victory.
If you live in New York state and you believe that your gay friends and family should have the right to marry the person they love, then the time to call your state senator is now.
Two Republican senators (Sen. James Alesi of Monroe County ((518) 455-2015/(585) 223-1800) and Sen. Roy McDonald of Saratoga County ((518) 455-2381/(518) 274-4616)) have already announced that they will vote for gay marriage.
These Republican senators and the 29 Democrats who support the bill need to hear from you that they are doing the right thing.
A number of Republican senators have been identified as possible swing votes.
* Stephen Saland of Poughkeepsie
518-455-2411
845-463-0840
518- 828-1529
* Mark Grisanti of Buffalo
518-455-3240
716-854-8705
716-773-9600 ext 654
* Andrew Lanza of Staten Island
518-455-3215
718-984-4073
* Greg Ball of Patterson
845-279-3773
518-455-3111
* Kemp Hannon of Garden City
518-455-2200
516-739-1700
The Christianists will be calling them frantically urging a no vote.
If you live in their districts, please take the time to call. Be polite and keep it simple.
Your call in support of gay marriage may make a difference.
ETA: Contact details for all New York State senators can be found here.
arguingwithsignposts
I am struggling to find any mention of marriage, family or children in the Original constitution. Could someone help me out here?
artem1s
Good for Senator Savino who is obviously not afraid to demonstrate that she knows bigotry when she sees it. More representatives like her please!
LGRooney
Christ, if they could read the Constitution again, and pay a little attention to the 9th Amendment – my personal favorite and the one that would put paid to this line of argumentation once and for all – they would understand that they should STFD&STFU!
DKF
Fucking unbelievable. The recognition of basic human liberties is tantamount to brutally repressive totalitarianism. How bizarrely Orwellian.
MAJeff
The Bishop is an ignorant, bigoted git.
mistermix
Alesi is my senator. I did call him earlier this month, and I’m glad to see he finally agreed to vote for the bill. Here’s what I said:
Short and sweet. My view is that it really doesn’t matter much what you say, that you’re just a tick-mark on someone’s list, so no need to embroider it.
JCT
This has been an epic battle — I’m thrilled and shocked that we are so close. Especially given the last vote.
Nothing quite like the hypocrisy of the same Church that hides and protects pedophiles comparing this to communist rule.
Savino has always been a straight shooter.
One interesting point, though I am not a huge Bloomberg fan in general, he has been way out in front on this. Apparently he made it crystal clear that any Republican who did not vote for it would immediately lose his support.
I also have not loved all of Cuomo’s moves either, but to make this push such a priority so early is really encouraging.
I finally have the feeling that this will actually happen — looking forward to attending a bunch of weddings!
dr. bloor
I’d tell the Archbishop to go fuck himself, but he’d probably just misinterpret that and go find himself a little boy instead.
RobertB
The Archbishop probably figures, “Why buy the cow, when you can get the milk for free.”
alwhite
I loved Stewart’s gag on this.
“It potentially comes down the the vote of Andrew Lanza. SO he has to ask himself if he want to be for ever known as ‘the Staten Island Ferry'”
uila
… says the guy who routinely turns wine into the blood of christ
ChrisNYC
I imagine a lot of people have seen Sen. McDonald’s great statement (I was pointed to it by a commenter here) but worth reposting:
“You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn’t black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing,” McDonald, 64, told reporters. “You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, f— it, I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing. I’m tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I’m trying to do the right thing, and that’s where I’m going with this.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/06/15/2011-06-15_brink_of_history_as_ny_gay_marriage_bill_needs_just_1_vote_to_pass_trying_to_do_.html#ixzz1PXR7gAdy
Paris
Apparently, only the church is allowed to presume omnipotence.
Ron
I’ve asked elsewhere, and I can’t get an answer. AFAIK in the case of a tie in the NY state senate, the Lt. Gov. has the tiebreaking vote. Given that, wouldn’t 31 votes be enough?
burnspbesq
And he doesn’t speak for the overwhelming majority of Catholics on this issue.
Ronbo
Kudos to you Sarah! BJ would not be the same without you. Seriously, it wouldn’t. Keep up the good work.
Sarah Proud and Tall
@Ron – I understand the tiebreaking vote rule is said by some to only apply to procedural votes, and so if it was used court challenges would be likely. 32 votes would be better.
Ron
I don’t disagree that it would be better. I would hope that if they could only get 31 that they would at least try it.
Ron
A quick persual of the NY constitution says that the Lt.-Gov. is president of the senate but may only have a “casting vote” which is a tie breaking vote. I don’t see anything to suggest that it’s only for procedural votes.
Nethead Jay
@ChrisNYC: Thanks for reposting Sen. McDonalds great quote, it’s worth highlighting when someone from that side says something right. Here’s the BuzzFeed link I posted last night, it’s going viral all over the place. Hope it convinces a few of his colleagues.
Pococurante
So the USA is like China and North Korea because we may strip away institutional discrimination. I can’t recall the last time I read something that so dramatically showed no self-awareness.
Cris (without an H)
I’ve often idly wondered if we’re going to see a schism where American Catholics split off to form their own Church. I doubt it, but I so often hear things along the lines of “the (priest|bishop|pope) isn’t speaking for most Catholics” that I have to wonder why these Catholics keep letting these guys speak for them.
Jado
“And that’s exactly why we are in favor of this gay marriage bill. Life, home, family, marriage, children, and faith should be accessible to any and all who want them. Jesus says love thy neighbor, and so we do. Welcome to the 21st century!”
-Some RC Archbishop that exists only
in my fevered imagination, who has
actually internalized the message he
has spent his life studying
DKF
I’m sure North Korea is a veritable paradise for the LGBT community. I hear the prisons there are teeming with reactionary opponents of the gay peoples’ revolution.
Slamlander
I disagree, our Rights are not granted by any god. They are granted by our sheer humanity. The USA is a secular state, humanist, which bows to no god, as given by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
That is as clear a declaration of secularism as can be hoped for, anywhere. All arguments against same sex marriage are based on religious grounds. From the First Amendment, all such arguments are null and void on their face.