Courtesy of Bay Windows:
The New York Senate voted to legalize same-sex marriage in the state Friday, June 24 with a vote of 33 to 29.
The measure needed just one more supporter in the Republican-controlled Senate. Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) called the body back into session after it expired Monday, June 20 to continue debating the issue. The governor expressed his support for legalized same-sex marriage, and spent the past few weeks personally lobbying senators on the matter.
The bill, which had been passed by the State Assembly, includes measures that would exempt religious groups who don’t support legalized marriage equality from having to officiate or otherwise participate in same-sex unions.
Now that is a pretty great way to wrtap up my blogging this Friday evening!
Quite exciting and excruciating. I give our new Gov the highest praise and I thank those Repubs who did the right thing. I am a proud New Yorker.
ReplyDeleteHooray! What a historic night. As Andrew Sullivan said, this doubles the number of gay couples who can legally marry in this country.
ReplyDeleteThank you for working so hard on this, governor Cuomo!
Great News! Now, something needs to be done in California.
ReplyDeleteI miss NY....I love NY ... a step out of the dark ages for our country.
ReplyDeleteGay Pride week kicks off this weekend in Minneapolis. They have special lighting on the 35W Bridge, the one whose predecessor Tpaw dropped in the river. I imagine the festivities will be happier with the news from NYC
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful thing . . . . .
ReplyDelete100% Awesome!!! Step by step, things are improving.
ReplyDeleteWoot!!
Watched it on Maddow. I'm proud of the elected senate of my home state.(For a change.) Niagara Falls will rock this year with same-sex marriages!
ReplyDeleteWoot!
ReplyDeleteI'm a straight,single female happy for my gay brothers and sisters tonight..
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy for NY gays. My son is gay, but resides in California.
ReplyDeleteI wonder now that New York has passed marriage equality - hooray for them - if that will open the floodgates and other states will follow.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope so. The northeast continues to lead the way in marriage equality.
I just don't understand how same-sex marriage can possibly do anything to harm or damage traditional marriage, but it WILL provide security, stability and equality to many people throughout NY.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the senators from my state who used common sense and compassion to vote yes on this bill, especially those brave 4 on the Republican side of the aisle.
I think it's wonderful! I hope that Utah will stay out of it this time...
ReplyDeleteWonderful!
ReplyDeleteWelcome NY to the Land of the Living!!!
ReplyDeleteI, rather I should say WE, celebrate our 8th anniversary in July where we are!!
It seems so long ago since we went through these issues that it boggles the mind to hear the opposition to it from within a country that continues to say it's the leader of the free world. Really - not on this it isn't!!!
Crystal Sage 7:26 --
Niagara Falls on 'the other side' has been celebrating gay marriages for 8 years! Many Americans have crossed the bridge to 'marry'!!!!
New York States's on the right side of history. Kudos NY.
ReplyDeleteGreat news! O/T you have to check out Bill Maher tonight, he really let's both $arah and Bri$tle have it LMAO
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:12
ReplyDeleteI just don't understand how same-sex marriage can possibly do anything to harm or damage traditional marriage,
------
My way of thinking when I hear that has always been that their marriage wasn't stable to begin with. Like Palin, they need someone else to blame for their own failure!!
Hooray for NY!!!
ReplyDeleteWe got home from my daughter's H.S. graduation to find they passed gay marriage! It's celebrating time for these NYers! We couldn't be happier and are looking forward to some fabulous weddings! :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to our Governor, Andrew Cuomo and all of the NY legislators who decided to let social justice triumph with equality and freedom for all!
ReplyDeleteWe the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity...
ReplyDeleteCongrats, NY! One more step in the direction of a more perfect union, of equality for everyone!
Yay! Cheers! Another state coming to its senses!!! Bravo, and f/o all you right winger homophobic crazy m.f.ers.
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled! Way to go NY! Now what about Alaska!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations New York. Equality for all.
ReplyDeleteSammy1
I get really pissed off at the narrow-minded people who just don't get it.
ReplyDeleteBut today, when we get a little good news, I do feel just a little bit better about our country.
I'm a straight single male, but we all share in the victory whenever our country acknowledges that we are all human beings, and should treat one another with respect and dignity.
Congrats to the voters in New York for electing those who will represent ALL OF NY's CITIZENS!
We are now one step closer to allowing everyone to enjoy the liberties that our country
should afford every citizen.
Celebrate the victory this weekend, but Monday morning please rejoin the struggle to change the minds and hearts of others who can affect change throughout our country.
Onward and upward, and this is why we are progressives.
ReplyDeleteWe who are, I mean.
OT but
ReplyDeleteSarah Palin Love Child Scandal - The Globe
Awesome, I hope this will drive Elisabeth Hasselbeck into a mental institution so I don't have to hear her complain about Gay marriage anymore. She is totally ignorant and ignorance does not deserve a voice on the VIEW! Especially in NYC!! Equality for all!
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteAnd the best thing is, it was passed through the executive and legislative branches, the place the bigots insist we have to create equality, leaving out the judicial entirely. Well, with zero help from the courts, we got the votes and got er' done. Holdout republicans were shamed into voting for it.
Churches got their exemption, I'd like to read the fine print to see how far beyond the church door they can discriminate.
I've been thinking about the exemption for the churches and such.
ReplyDeleteAnd the fact is, ALL marriages are civil marriages. First, you have to get a civil marriage license, then, if you should choose, you might want to enter into "holy matrimony".
That is, if you pass wtf-ever criteria that the religionists require.
"If you pass OUR requirements, THEN we will let you marry"
"Thing is, that defines YOUR marriage the way WE want it defined."
While the reality is, if you want "holy matrimony", you get a civil license first. What you do after that is strictly YOUR bailiwick.
I believe that in days to come, when all have come around to the equality that the constitution enshrines, most will realise the religious objections were simply anachronisms, left over from the dark ages, or at least the dark days, when Americans vilified each other over old legalisms in a dusty tome.
And, btw, the Book says, "Those of you who are justified by the law, are therefore fallen from Grace". The Old Testament thumpers do not seem to realise this, and for them, the Second Covenant may as well never have come.
Why so few comments, I wonder...
We can come together in great numbers to celebrate a someone who has fallen from Grace, but.. mostly crickets for this amazing milestone in our human rights.
Thanks for this forum, Gryphen. You have done us a great service.
Empire State Building Lit Up for Marriage Equality
ReplyDelete“I’m a NYer and the tallest building in my city is lit up like a rainbow in honor of equality.”
And this quote, from the New York Times, is especially poignant this evening:
The marriage bill, whose fate was uncertain until moments before the vote, was approved 33 to 29 in a packed but hushed Senate chamber. Four members of the Republican majority joined all but one Democrat in the Senate who supported the measure after an intense and emotional campaign aimed at the handful of lawmakers wrestling with a decision that divided their friends, their constituents and sometimes their own homes.
With his position still undeclared, Senator Mark J. Grisanti, a Republican from Buffalo who had sought office promising to oppose same-sex marriage, told his colleagues he had agonized for months before concluding he had been wrong.
“I apologize for those who feel offended,” Mr. Grisanti said, adding, “I cannot deny a person, a human being, a taxpayer, a worker, the people of my district and across this state, the State of New York, and those people who make this the great state that it is the same rights that I have with my wife.”
It takes guts to admit you were wrong.
http://www.politicususa.com/en/
empire-state-building-lit-up-marriage-equality
Another state passes same sex marriage and yet again I awoke beside my husband! My opposite sex marriage of 33 yrs has not been impacted nor destroyed(snark). Just because people who love each other can have the same rights as I do to marry. It wasn't that many yrs ago ( in 1947 that my mom and dad had to cross into Canada to get married because they were a biracial couple) I hope that in the near future we have freedom for ALL Americans in every state.
ReplyDeleteI wish all the people that will be able to get married have as long, happy, and loving a marriage as I have been lucky enough to have!
Sweet anny@7.02a - your comments are great and right-on. I just care that the state allows gay marriage; I don't care if individual churches don't. I think if you're a gay baptist and you're hoping to get married in the "church", you're out of luck, but there are many churches that will preside, the U-U among them.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the reason there's not more activity here on this post is the lack of "live-time" responses. Since everything has to go through Gryphen, it's difficult to have a running-conversation with anybody.
Hopefully you'll read this.
I wish Gryphen was able have "live-time" responses, but I understand why he can't.
Anyway - here's to Marriage Equality!
As a NYer with many gay friends, I am thrilled and proud that this bill has passed. I am also surprised and happy to read all these supportive comments from people around the country.
ReplyDeleteI know it's a big deal here in my state, but it warms my heart to see how many of you share in our excitement!
Thank you Phoebes. It feels a little lonely here today. I appreciate the shout out, and, if I may, don't let Martinez and the rest of the regressives cut education in NM anymore. And by all means, keep the Land Grant contribution to public education at least at the current level.
ReplyDeleteEducation. it's the thing that will save us.
Back on topic, it is sad that we celebrate someone's fall (a true tragedy), and fail to note this event (a victory for the heart and soul).
Of course, I am not talking to you few who are celebrating w/me, I am not denigrating anyone's comments.
But, where are the rest of our friends here?
Glee over a tragedy, which is sad, and nearly silence for a victory, which is sadder.
Thanks for the note, Sweet anny. As for Martinez, it was almost a foregone conclusion that NM would not have elected a Democrat to succeed Bill Richardson. The Dems could have run Jesus Christ himself and he would have lost. NM were sick to death of Governor Bill and that distaste was handed down to Diane Denish, his LT governor.
ReplyDeleteI do think we're keeping an eye on Martinez. Thoughts here are that Heinrich should hold on to Bingaman's Democratic Senate seat next November.
I found that the gay marriage issue has been handled in a more timely manner on other blogs and I've participated in the discussions. I simply don't come here for anything "timely". It's a good blog, but the comment situation - understandably - leaves a little to be desired.