State Assembly passes gay marriage bill
In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled in Romer v. Evans, striking down a homophobic constitutional amendment in the state of Colorado:
We must conclude that Amendment 2 classifies homosexuals not to further a proper legislative end but to make them unequal to everyone else. This Colorado cannot do. A State cannot so deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws. Amendment 2 violates the Equal Protection Clause, and the judgment of the Supreme Court of Colorado is affirmed.
Since Romer, the LGBT rights movement has been able to focus, the fight over whether we have any rights before the law having been won, on what the scope of those rights will be. In essence, this has involved identifying and then advocating for change in all aeras of the civil law where sexual orientation is relevant; chief among these is marriage. Yesterday, the New York State Assembly voted to include gays and lesbians in the protections of law already extended to straight New Yorkers.
After more than three hours of impassioned debate, the Assembly on Tuesday night approved a bill to allow same-sex marriage in New York.[...]
"I'm very proud of my colleagues," said a buoyant Daniel O'Donnell, D-Manhattan, an openly gay lawmaker who carried the bill on behalf of Gov. Eliot Spitzer. The bill passed 85-61, more than he'd expected.
Astonishingly enough, the bill garnered the support and vote of Speaker Sheldon Silver. It was a most unusual bill, prompting open debate in a chamber known for its lockstep approach to legislating.
"This was one of those nights where the debate changed votes," said Assemblyman Ronald Canestrari, D-Cohoes. "It doesn't happen that often."
Now, of course, the bill will die in the Senate, where the republican majority seems inclined to repeat the failings of American conservatism on every civil rights issue ever to confront this country. A special dishonorable mention goes out to bigoted shitbag Ruben Diaz, Democrat of The Bronx, who said in a press release:
As a legislator of Hispanic origin, today I am very disappointed with those members of the Hispanic delegation in the State Assembly for supporting homosexual marriage in New York. [...]
This is against the Jewish Religion, the Islamic Religion, and Christian Religions. These religions do not support the belief in or practice of homosexuality.
Even though the members of the New York State Assembly, controlled by the Democratic Party and guided by the Speaker Sheldon Silver, today will approve and authorize gay marriage in New York State, I am confident that the New York State Senate, controlled by the Republican Party, will not allow this to come to the floor of the Senate.
On this, bigoted shitbag Diaz is probably right. This once again makes clear, starkly and with all the clarity one could hope for, that Democrats need to retake the New York State Senate if there is to be any hope of moving this state forward.
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LGBT | Marriage Equality | New York State Assembly | New York
Well said
Submitted by Paul Curtis on 20 June 2007 - 10:46am.
But we can still pummel bigoted shitbag Ruben Diaz for a while.
Lopez
Submitted by mole333 on 20 June 2007 - 9:33pm.
The problems with Lopez are, off the top of my head, two fold: corruption and being too close with Republicans.
In terms of corruption, the Brooklyn machine, partly through its trading judgeships like trading cards, in the past often favoring clearly unqualified cronies over qualified, more independent candidates, has been far more interested in preserving their own power rather than getting much done. Lopez himself may not even live in his district, according to some, has made some pretty shady deals that favor relatives or his girlfriend (see, for example, here)and generally runs Brooklyn like his personal fiefdom.
In terms of playing footsie with Republicans, he has often refused to help runs against Republicans in Brooklyn (even though he is the head of the Democratic Party in Brooklyn) and his voter registration efforts have discouraged people from registering Democrat, preferring to register people, if at all, as Independents.
There are other much more thuggish tactics I have been told about, but nothing I can say much about.
I have never heard anything particularly bad about his views on social issues. Hell, on many issues he and I are likely to agree. But if I am going to bash Republicans for corruption and cronyism, I have to bash Democrats when they do the same.
I can't speak
Submitted by Bouldin on 20 June 2007 - 10:56am.
with any authority about Lopez, but as far as Shelly is concerned, you need to separate two issues: one, his stances on the issues, two, the way he runs the Assembly. In very clear and stark terms, the Assembly is not a deliberative or legislative body. Unless the Speaker gives his imprimatur, things do not move forward. Individual legislators are essentially powerless. In a very real way, the legislature is not a representative or for that matter small-D democratic body.
The Role Of Leaders
The role of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in authorizing this debate and in voting for the bill needs to be looked at carefully. Progressives who favored the bill often attacked Silver and predicted that he would sink it -- or at least vote against it. (Check out Joyce Purnick's essay on Silver here.
Similarly, Assembly Member Vito Lopez, the Brooklyn leader of the Democratic Party, has often beeen attacked on these pages. As a non-son of Brooklyn, it's difficult to tell how deserved those attacks have been. But Lopez, too, has been in the forefront of progressive battle for affordable housing. Due to his efforts, the expanded affordable-housing, 421(a) deal struck earlier this year between Mr. Bloomberg and MS. Quinn, appears likely to be enacted.
The lesson I draw from this is that political leaders can be allies as well as opponents. Part of our task on the left is to create the opportunities for elected leaders to act courageously. We cannot and should not treat Mr. Silver and Mr. Lopez as vampires through whose hearts stakes should be driven, if we want their political support in times of need.