NY Marriage Rally in Times Square
By Advocate.com Editors

Hundreds of city residents who were outraged by the vote against gay marriage in Albany turned out in Times Square Wednesday night to protest. NY1’s Anthony Pascale filed the following report.

Hundreds showed up in Times Square on a rainy Wednesday night and stood behind a large banner labeled “Crime Scene” to express publicly their outrage at the State Senate’s defeat of same-sex marriage in New York State.

“Well, this is a crime scene. What they did in Albany today was a crime,” said a protester.

“We are beyond words, feelings about 38 senators telling me that because the person I love is not the gender they believe it should be, I can’t marry that person,” said another.

“As a gay woman who is also black, I felt very disturbed at the trend this country is taking and not recognizing the rights of all of its citizens,” said a third.

Long-time partners David and Fred from Manhattan told NY1 they are waiting to tie the knot in the state where they live and that they want equal rights.

“We don’t want anything special. After 17 years we just want to be married,” said one partner.

“We just want to have the same rights as everyone else – to be able to visit loved ones in the hospital, inheritance,” said the other.

Many protesters said they want to hold the lawmakers who voted against the Marriage Equality Act accountable. They said they want to focus on Democrats who some say were supported with campaign contributions and at the polls, yet still voted no.

“I feel absolutely betrayed. The state Democratic Party told the LGBT community if we gave them a majority, we will get marriage,” said a protester.

“Those people are in trouble. We’re going to go to their districts, we’re going to mobilize their people, we’re going to shut down their malls, we’re going to stop the shopping,” said another. “And we’re going to do everything in our power to get them out of office.”

Following the Wednesday rally, organizers said another rally was already planned for Thursday afternoon in Union Square, and that others will follow. They said they won’t rest until the right to marry is theirs.

another press account here:
http://ny1.com/5-manhattan-news-content/top_stories/109840/midtown-same-sex-marriage-advocates-express-outrage-at-albany
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Video here:
http://ny1.com/5-manhattan-news-content/top_stories/109840/midtown-same-sex-marriage-advocates-express-outrage-at-albany

Garden State Equality members braved the cold to rally at the Statehouse Monday in support of the bill to legalize gay marriage.

TRENTON — Legislation that would legalize gay marriage in New Jersey will go up for a vote in the full Senate on Thursday, Senate President Richard Codey announced today.

“Given the intensely personal nature of this issue, I think the people of this state deserve the right to a formal debate on the Senate floor,” Codey (D-Essex) said in a statement.

Full Star-Ledger coverage of the Gay Marriage Debate in New Jersey

“We need the votes of the below five senators. We don’t have them yet and we must keep the phones in their offices ringing off the hook until the vote happens…

Please call:

• Senator Nicholas Sacco: (201) 295-0200
• Senator Sean Kean: (732) 974-0400
• Senator Fred Madden: (856) 232-6700, (856) 401-3073, (908)
  232-2073
• Senator Tom Kean: (908) 232-3673, (908) 918-0414,
• Senator Shirely Turner: (609) 530-3277

When you call these legislators please say:

I am calling to ask Senator _______ to stand up for my
rights/the rights of _________ (tell them the name of someone
you love and how they are related to you) by voting YES
for the marriage equality bill for same-sex couples.

If the line is busy or the voicemails are filled up, please keep calling until you get through.

Joseph Solonese, President, of Human Rights Campaign today urged the LGBT community and its allies to apply pressure on a group of NJ State Senators to support Marriage Equality legislation.

TRENTON — A state Senate vote on legalizing same-sex marriage in New Jersey is expected to be delayed, its two prime sponsors said today.

Sens. Ray Lesniak (D-Union) and Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) said the bill — which was up for passage on Thursday — instead will likely be introduced in the Assembly Judiciary Committee in preparation for a vote by the lower house.

The lawmakers said they expect Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) to agree to the delay. Codey, who had posted the bill on Thursday’s agenda, could not immediately be reached for comment this afternoon.

Lesniak said he still expects a vote on same-sex marriage in both houses before the end of the lame-duck legislative session in January. Advocates are pushing for passage of the bill before Gov. Jon Corzine leaves office Jan. 19. Corzine supports the measure, while incoming Gov. Chris Christie says he will veto it.

While even proponents conceded this week that passage was in doubt, Lesniak and Weinberg said they were not postponing the debate because they lacked the 21 votes to succeed in the Senate. They said they want Assembly members to engage in the public dialogue and hear the testimony from both sides that senators already have been exposed to.

Lawmakers said phones in their district offices continued to ring off the hook this week, with in-state and out-of-state opponents and advocates burning up the lines of Democratics senators committed to opposing gay marriage.

“Most of us have spent the last week, even just alone in our district offices fielding questions and speaking to folks, advocates and detractors of the gay marriage bill about this issue,” said Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May), who said he will vote against the bill.

“But 99 percent of our attention should be turned towards creating a state government that works, figuring how in God’s name we’re going be able to balance the budget next year.”

January 12th, 7:30 PM
The Support Center for NonProfit Management
305 Seventh Avenue (11th Floor) NYC

Update on Recent Activities

National ENDA Conference Call.
We hosted a conference call featuring Dr. Jillian Weiss (of Bilerico.com/ENDA fame).   Over 100 people registered, and the call had close to 60.   It was called for on Wed before Thanksgiving, and happened the following Tuesday, so that is pretty good.   It had a range of people from the highest ranks of the DNC to major organizations and organizers, including key March organizers, state coalitions, independent activists and lots of bloggers.   We polled everyone to see the breakdown and it was about 1/3 each:  1.  nat. orgs, 2. state/local orgs, and 3. independent activists.

After an update by Dr. Weiss, the open discussion revealed great interest in 1. focusing on the committee to reschedule the vote, 2.  media collaboration, and 3.  national-org coalition building.   Breakout groups ensued.   Due to some technical difficulties the media group had to schedule another call – and that group is in active coordination with the Nat. Center for Lesbian Rights as part of the UnitedENDA.org coaltion to discuss the development of a separate media team to develop a full media strategy for ENDA.

This effort and Dr. Weiss’s crusade on Bilerico.com prompted greater media attention on the ENDA silence and scheduling.   Subsequently, the Committee canceled any action on ENDA this year officially, and a large group of top national organizations coordinated action and voice to send a letter to the Committee insisting that ENDA be taken up.   There is a flurry of activity now as they address how to proceed.

Hopefully, UnitedENDA.org (Task force and many others) and PassENDAnow.org (HRC) will do two things:   1.  Call for an independent group of PR and media professionals to create an ENDA campaign targeting the gay community to energize the grassroots, and 2.  Create a Whip-The-Vote campaign around ENDA and the Public Whip Count (actonprinciples.org) – around which we can mobilize locally and nationally.   Most importantly, I hope they present a target for common cause of ENDA by June 2010 (pride month) so that we start driving our own legislative scheduling.

The ENDA media committee that came out of the national call will be opened to broader participation, once guidance from the key lobbying organizations arrives, hopefully early next week.

The outtake on all of this is that the national discussion on movement strategy is expanding and opening to include not only national groups, but state/local and independent activists (who were a 1/3 of the call, and who offer a very different perspective to the conversation).

Maine
To support No On 1, we did a little publicity around the national phone-banking effort, had people volunteer free flights to Maine, and created and distributed flyers on that effort to the ISO conference.   That loss hit home hard across the country, and reinvigorated calls for a national coordinated effort to address state-level discrimination.   Experts are revisiting the possibilities of a federal legislative strategy on that front.

Equality Across America.
EAA has transitioned from the Nat. Equality March and is now comprised of an Interim National Governing Board (INGB) of 11 people.  There is also a googlegroup of around 60.   The INGB is developing on a few fronts, primarily focusing on 1.  Full Equality Action Teams (yes – FEAT) (formerly conceived of as Congressional District Action Teams), 2. Website Development, and 3.  Regional Conferences.   Chicago, Boston and Northern Florida are in active discussion about having separate, but related conferences around March.   The content and themes of the conferences are in development.

While NY does not yet have a team working on a conference, some preliminary thoughts include perhaps organizing a virtual component that can interface with the other conferences, or otherwise creating a platform for national dialog around movement strategy.  Philly is talking about joining the Boston regional effort.   This could be a key point of discussion at the next meeting, if there is interest.

NY Marriage.
The recent vote in the NY Senate has prompted a deep focus on an electoral campaigns.   Already the Empire State Pride Agenda has endorsed pro-equality candidates to remove key “no” votes.   There will be a lot of activity on that front next year.   Perhaps this is a topic worthy of a community meeting?   Please speak up if so.

MarriageEquality in New Jersey.

The NJ Senate Judiciary Committee voted to release the bill to the floor on Monday, and that struggle now faces a showdown.   We have reached out to NJ organizers and if they ask for any support, we’ll let you know.

Congressional District Organizing.

The immediate action needed for Congressional District Action Teams are the following:
- determine the primary focus purpose for district organizing meetings (to make the case for full equality to likely supporters and allies; to create excitement in the local vicinity for new grassroots organizing efforts;
to identify possible activists that will commit to full equality for LGBT people: organize  a CDAT team; and to inform on critical legislative issues
- identify key players or organizations that will cosponsor and promote the meeting
- schedule meeting time and location in target districts for January or February
- create agenda and determine the participant’s who will lead/speak the meeting
- assist in publicizing and attending each meeting to assure success
- schedule followup meeting for new district organizing team (small group)
- schedule and organize a larger scale “town meeting in the same district with elected Member of Congress and local electeds and key ally leaders.
- evaluate
- target the next group of district meetings

Possible Initial Target Districts:
New York’s Congressional District 14 – (Manhattan’s East Side – Roosevelt Island -Astoria/Sunnyside/Long Island City in Queens)  This district is currently represented by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.
Meeting/Event Planner – Clayton Fox

- New York’s Congressional District 8 – (Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and continues south to include most parts of Hell’s Kitchen, East Village, Chelsea, SoHo, Greenwich Village, TriBeCa, and Downtown Manhattan  plus parts of Brooklyn includes parts of Borough Park, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Gravesend, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, and Seagate.)  This district is currently represented by Congressman Jerrold Nadler.
Meeting/Event Planner – Kevin Beauchamp

- New Jersey’s Congressional District 13 (Includes the Hudson County, New Jersey communities of East Newark, Guttenberg, Harrison, Hoboken, Union City, Weehawken, West New York and parts of Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen and Bayonne, Part of Newark in Essex County, parts of Elizabeth and Linden in Union County, and Carteret, Perth Amboy, and part of Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County.) This district is currently represented by Congressman Albio Sires.
Meeting/Event Planner – Joey Nelson

7.  EqualityNYC.org (FullEqualityNYC.org) – organizational update.   As you know, our group was formed as an ad hoc March committee and has since been in transition.   A steering committee (of 10, but open to all) was formed around the idea of an inclusive and transparent model of operation and collective decision making, and divided into two focuses:  1.  Congressional District organizing to focus on our federal legislative strategy, and 2.  Non-federal topics of regional general interest.    The name was expanded to “FullEqualityNYC.org” and the website was expanded to include a public blog forum for discussions of community topics as interest arises around specific actions, etc..   We sponsored and organized the National ENDA Conference Call, and will be meeting first of the year to discuss subsequent actions including a possible virtual or physical conference (stay tuned for a proposal on that front – main contact Tif509@gmail.com), and local congressional-district-focused organizing, and possible organizing around ENDA or Whip-the-Vote as those campaigns heat up (discussions are underway with the ActOnPrinciple.org team).  For Congressional District Organizing – Main Contact Joey Nelson (changebuilders@msn.com).

Please respond to this message if you would like to be removed from the existing list – which is the pre-march googlegroup.   Otherwise, we’ll continue to keep you informed.   If any one has actions they would like to share, please contact Joey or Tif and we can share them with the steering committee, and larger list.

The hope with all of this is to find greater ways to coordinate our efforts and more common cause.

Happy holidays to all.  Ho Ho Ho.

RALLY TODAY FOR EQUAL MARRIAGE
Today, Thursday Dec 3rd, 6pm
Northside UNION SQUARE! – 17th st

Though the NYS Senate denied civil rights by voting down same-sex marriage on Dec. 2 our rally today will show them, and everyone, that our will will not be denied.  Rally to redouble our efforts to make marriage equality the law in our country!

EVERYONE is NEEDED!  This rally, only called yesterday, has quickly developed with news coverage and promises to bring out many many supporters of equal marriage.  Hundreds gathered in Times Square last night! Full Equality NYC and all supporters are urged to attend but ALSO get involved to help organize a New York City response that can successfully help build the fight.

MEMBERS OF FULL EQUALITY NYC
We will have sign up sheets at the rally today with hopes of involving more people in our group.  We want to talk to people today and take the temperature of the movement. What are the next steps for us as a movement and now that the reform process has failed once again to grant humans their civil rights, perhaps we shift our focus from the ballot boxes to more direct, grass-roots action! Let’s see what people are up for!  There is a lot of anger and unrest, we have an opportunity to help people channel that anger into activism that can actually help us win our rights!!

Please collect names tonight!  Lets get everyone involved!

TONIGHT  6PM

TIMES SQUARE
TKTS STAIRS

Rally to Protest the DEFEAT of Marriage Equality
by the New York State Senate

Senator Thomas K. Duane, the sponsor of same-sex marriage legislation, embraced Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson after she announced her support for the bill during the debate on the senate floor on Wednesday in Albany.

New York State Senate Votes Down Gay Marriage Bill

By Jeremy W. Peters
New York Times: December 2, 2009

ALBANY — The State Senate defeated a bill on Wednesday that would legalize same-sex marriage, after an emotional debate that touched on civil rights, family and history. The vote means that the bill, pushed by Gov. David A. Paterson, is effectively dead for the year and destroys the optimism of gay rights advocates.

The bill was defeated by a decisive margin of 38 to 24. The Democrats, who have a bare, one-seat majority, did not have enough votes to pass the bill without some Republican support, but not a single Republican senator voted for the measure.

In a debate that in many instances was cast in unusually personal tones, many senators delivered emotional speeches on the floor of the chamber, equating the struggle for gay rights to the civil rights movement or the battle women have waged for equality.

One of the bill’s sponsors, State Senator Thomas K. Duane of Manhattan, who is gay, said the bill would finally give him something that as a New Yorker he has never enjoyed.

“This legislation would merely provide me and tens of thousands of other New Yorkers with equal rights in New York State,” Mr. Duane said. “It would make me equal in every way to everyone else in this chamber.”

Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat who represents Manhattan’s Upper East Side and another of the bill’s sponsors, said her grandparents came to the United States to escape persecution against Jews. As a Jew and a woman, Ms. Krueger said her decision to support same-sex marriage was easy to make.

But State Senator Rubén Díaz Sr. of the Bronx made an impassioned argument against same-sex marriage, describing his continued opposition as reflecting the broad consensus that marriage should be limited to a union between a man and woman. “Not only the evangelicals, not only the Jews, not only the Muslims, not only the Catholics, but also the people oppose it,” he said.

Senate Republicans had said before the vote that they believed their members could provide a few votes for the bill.

“There may be a few, that’s very possible,” said Senator Thomas W. Libous of Binghamton, the deputy Republican leader who said he will vote against the bill. “Everybody’s feeling is get it on the floor and let’s vote it up or down. It’s been talked about enough. Let’s get it done. I think it’s going to be very close.”

Ms. Krueger said before the debate began that she was optimistic the bill would pass, but added, “It depends on whether Republican votes are delivered.”

Had the legislation passed, New York would have become the sixth state where marriage between same-sex couples is legal or will soon be permitted. But now that it has failed, New York becomes the latest state where gay rights advocates have made considerable progress only to see their hopes dashed.

Last month Maine became the 31st state to block same-sex marriage through a referendum. The Maine State Legislature had voted to legalize same-sex unions earlier this year, but opponents of gay rights gathered enough signatures to put the measure on the ballot.

Last year, California voters repealed same-sex marriage after the State Supreme Court said that gay couples had the right to marry.

Unlike in Maine, however, New York does not have a referendum process that allows voters to overturn an act of the Legislature.

The State Assembly had already approved the legislation, and Gov. David A. Paterson had said he would immediately sign the bill if it made it to his desk.

Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, the Assembly voted 88 to 51 to allow same-sex marriage. Though the Assembly has already passed the bill twice, a quirk in New York’s legislative code required the Assembly to pass the bill again before the governor can sign it.

As the vote approached advocates on both sides of the debate were pushing ahead with a last-minute effort to shore up support.

“We’re working it as hard as we can,” said Senator Eric T. Schneiderman, a Democrat who represents the Upper West Side and who supports same-sex marriage. “It feels very good right now. It feels like its going to happen. But this is an issue where some people don’t want to declare themselves until the last minute. And I think, believe it or not, I think there are one or two people who are really still torn.”

Demonstrators on both sides of the issue were relatively scarce in the Capitol on Wednesday. A small group of Orthodox Jews gathered outside the Senate chamber, one of them holding a sign that read “Gay Union/A Rebellion Against the Almighty.”

Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of Monsey, N.Y., said he traveled to Albany to remind the Senate “that the world belongs to the Almighty, and they have to reckon with his rules and his law.”

As John L. Sampson, the Senate Democratic leader, walked into his office on Wednesday morning, he flashed a thumbs-up to same-sex marriage supporters standing a few feet from the protesters. But Mr. Sampson acknowledged he did not know how the vote would turn out.

“I’ve got my work cut out for me,” he said.

* New York Times 2009
Photo Credit: Nataniel Brooks for the New York Times