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Title: Same-sex marriage passes in New York State
Source:
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URL Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/25/n ... proved-by-new-york-senate.html
Published: Jun 25, 2011
Author: By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and MICHAEL BARBA
Post Date: 2011-06-25 07:31:05 by HAPPY2BME-4UM
Keywords: None
Views: 259
Comments: 30
ALBANY — Lawmakers voted late Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, making New York the largest state where gay and lesbian couples will be able to wed and giving the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born. 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 in supporting 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.” Senate approval was the final hurdle for the same-sex marriage legislation, which was approved last week by the Assembly. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the measure at 11:55 p.m., and the law will go into effect in 30 days, meaning that same-sex couples could begin marrying in New York by late July. Passage of same-sex marriage here followed a daunting run of defeats in other states where voters barred same-sex marriage by legislative action, constitutional amendment or referendum. Just five states currently permit same-sex marriage: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia. At around 10:30 p.m., moments after the vote was announced, Mr. Cuomo strode onto the Senate floor to wave at cheering supporters who had crowded into the galleries to watch. Trailed by two of his daughters, the governor greeted lawmakers, and paused to single out those Republicans who had defied the majority of their party to support the marriage bill. “How do you feel?” he asked Senator James S. Alesi, a suburban Rochester Republican who voted against the measure in 2009 and was the first to break party ranks this year. “Feels good, doesn’t it?” The approval of same-sex marriage represented a reversal of fortune for gay-rights advocates, who just two years ago suffered a humiliating defeat when a same-sex marriage bill was easily rejected by the Senate, which was then controlled by Democrats. This year, with the Senate controlled by Republicans, the odds against passage of same-sex marriage appeared long. But the unexpected victory had a clear champion: Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat who pledged last year to support same-sex marriage but whose early months in office were dominated by intense battles with lawmakers and some labor unions over spending cuts. Mr. Cuomo made same-sex marriage one of his top priorities for the year and deployed his top aide to coordinate the efforts of a half-dozen local gay-rights organizations whose feuding and disorganization had in part been blamed for the defeat two years ago. The new coalition of same-sex marriage supporters brought in one of Mr. Cuomo’s trusted campaign operatives to supervise a $3 million television and radio campaign aimed at persuading several Republican and Democratic senators to drop their opposition. For Senate Republicans, even bringing the measure to the floor was a freighted decision. Most of the Republicans firmly oppose same-sex marriage on moral grounds, and many of them also had political concerns, fearing that allowing same-sex marriage to pass on their watch would embitter conservative voters and cost the Republicans their one-seat majority in the Senate. Leaders of the state’s Conservative Party, whose support many Republican lawmakers depend on to win election, warned that they would oppose in legislative elections next year any Republican senator who voted for same-sex marriage. But after days of contentious discussion capped by a marathon nine-hour closed-door debate on Friday, Republicans came to a fateful decision: The full Senate would be allowed to vote on the bill, the majority leader, Dean G. Skelos, said Friday afternoon, and each member would be left to vote according to his or her conscience. “The days of just bottling up things, and using these as excuses not to have votes — as far as I’m concerned as leader, it’s over with,” said Mr. Skelos, a Long Island Republican who voted against the bill. Just before the marriage vote, lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly approved a broad package of major legislation that constituted the remainder of their agenda for the year. The bills included a cap on local property tax increases and a strengthening of New York’s rent regulation laws, as well as a five-year tuition increase at the State University of New York and the City University of New York. But Republican lawmakers spent much of the week negotiating changes to the marriage bill to protect religious institutions, especially those that oppose same-sex weddings. On Friday, the Assembly and the Senate approved those changes. But they were not enough to satisfy the measure’s staunchest opponents. In a joint statement, New York’s Catholic bishops assailed the vote. “The passage by the Legislature of a bill to alter radically and forever humanity’s historic understanding of marriage leaves us deeply disappointed and troubled,” the bishops said. Besides Mr. Alesi and Mr. Grisanti, the four Republicans who voted for the measure included Senators Stephen M. Saland from the Hudson Valley area and Roy J. McDonald of the capital region. Just one lawmaker rose to speak against the bill: Rubén Díaz Sr. of the Bronx, the only Democratic senator to cast a no vote. Mr. Díaz, saying he was offended by the two-minute restrictions set on speeches, repeatedly interrupted the presiding officer who tried to limit the senator’s remarks, shouting, “You don’t want to hear me.” “God, not Albany, has settled the definition of marriage, a long time ago,” Mr. Díaz said. The legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States is a relatively recent goal of the gay-rights movement, but over the last few years, gay-rights organizers have placed it at the center of their agenda, steering money and muscle into dozens of state capitals in an often uphill effort to persuade lawmakers. In New York, passage of the bill reflects rapidly evolving sentiment about same-sex unions. In 2004, according to a Quinnipiac poll, 37 percent of the state’s residents supported allowing same-sex couples to wed. This year, 58 percent of them did. Advocates moved aggressively this year to capitalize on that shift, flooding the district offices of wavering lawmakers with phone calls, e-mails and signed postcards from constituents who favored same-sex marriage, sometimes in bundles that numbered in the thousands. Dozens more states have laws or constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. Many of them were approved in the past few years, as same-sex marriage moved to the front line of the culture war and politicians deployed the issue as a tool for energizing their base. But New York could be a shift: It is now by far the largest state to grant legal recognition to same-sex weddings, and one that is home to a large, visible and politically influential gay community. Supporters of the measure described the victory in New York as especially symbolic — and poignant — because of its rich place in the history of gay rights: the movement’s foundational moment, in June 1969, was a riot against police inside the Stonewall Inn, a bar in the West Village. In Albany, there was elation after the vote. But leading up to it, there were moments of tension and frustration. At one point, Senator Kevin S. Parker, a Brooklyn Democrat, erupted when he and other supporters learned they would not be allowed to make a floor speech. “This is not right,” he yelled, before storming from the chamber. During a brief recess during the voting, Senator Shirley L. Huntley, a Queens Democrat who had only recently come out in support of same sex marriage, strode from her seat to the back of the Senate chamber to congratulate Daniel J. O’Donnell, an openly gay Manhattan lawmaker who sponsored the legislation in the Assembly. They hugged, and Assemblyman O’Donnell, standing with his longtime partner, began to tear up. “We’re going to invite you to our wedding,” Mr. O’Donnell said. “Now we have to figure out how to pay for one.”
Poster Comment: =========================================================== God - > America - > WRATH!
New York Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Becoming Largest State to Pass Law
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York signed a same-sex marriage bill into law late Friday in his office at the State Capitol. More Photos »
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#1. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#0)
I'm not happy until you're not happy!
So, when are you and Stonie going to tie the knot and are you two still fighting over who gets to be the bride?
"The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor" - Ronald Reagan
REVEALED: Yukon's True Daddy - Father's Everywhere Ask God For Forgiveness, Repent In Shame and Wonder U.S. Constitution - Article IV, Section 4: NO BORDERS + NO LAWS = NO COUNTRY
If this little Clique of Crap were all Ruptured up late this afternoon, the only loser would be god.
"Now more than ever, we need access to the crucial authorities in the Patriot Act" - Attorney General Eric Holder
LOL!
A “conspiracy theory” no longer means an event explained by a conspiracy. Instead, it now means any explanation, or even a fact, that is out of step with the government’s explanation and that of its media pimps. ~Paul Craig Roberts
Jew York state. __________________________________________________________ ROTFLMAO!
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
I miss Paul Lynde.
"Mr. Prime Minister, there is only one important question facing us, and that is the question whether the white race will survive." -- Leonid Brezhnev to James Callahan
So do I. I hope Cheney's daughter marries Allan Keyes' daughter. I think that would be sweet.
Government needs to get out of the marriage business. I used to be against gay marriage, but now I don't care. In the libertarian view, why should I? The institution of marriage is already destroyed anyway, by heteros not homos. I know gays that are more in love than many straight couples. -- I support marriage for any two human beings willing to commit themselves to loving each other in an enduring way. Homosexuality doesn't bother me at all.
And I oppose state sanctioning of aberrant sexuality. Homosexuality IS an aberration. I do not favor removing from them fundamental rights but I oppose strongly sanctioning such sad perversion with a patina of normalcy and legitimacy. Let them sleep and rut with whoever they wish but to demand approval is a reach too far.
Wth? lol
Now, that's funny!
"The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor" - Ronald Reagan
hi carenot! it's nice to see you again.
A “conspiracy theory” no longer means an event explained by a conspiracy. Instead, it now means any explanation, or even a fact, that is out of step with the government’s explanation and that of its media pimps. ~Paul Craig Roberts
do they date? ;)
A “conspiracy theory” no longer means an event explained by a conspiracy. Instead, it now means any explanation, or even a fact, that is out of step with the government’s explanation and that of its media pimps. ~Paul Craig Roberts
Keith Olbermann finally said something I can agree with mostly. What changed my mind was interacting with some gays and getting to know them. I still think homosexuality is a sin, but no worse than the sins I commit. They can't even kiss and fuck at the same time... lol Same Gender Fetish. Are they gonna allow people to marry leather whips and handcuffs next? :-P
So the blackman orders a pint of of the Black Stuff in Hayes' pub in Moneygall, he hands the barman a Fiver and says; "I HOPE there is some CHANGE with that!" :-P
I think by "enduring" he means the bumee's willingness to endure his arsehole getting torn up by the bummer's flute... :-P
So the blackman orders a pint of of the Black Stuff in Hayes' pub in Moneygall, he hands the barman a Fiver and says; "I HOPE there is some CHANGE with that!" :-P
It's none of your business, nor my business, nor the state's business; who marries whom or what. That's a private contract which the state has no lawful right to license.
Somewhere in Kenya, a village is still missing its idiot.
well I can see you are no fun at all.
"So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause." -Padme, Star Wars III, Sith
Next thing you know, you'll be able to marry your pet dog or cat or what-have-you. And if the tv says it's okay then it must be okay.
I'm not? lol
So the blackman orders a pint of of the Black Stuff in Hayes' pub in Moneygall, he hands the barman a Fiver and says; "I HOPE there is some CHANGE with that!" :-P
I'd say it will progress to the dog collar, and then the dog. lol And if the tv says it's okay then it must be okay. Yes, indeed, that great source of moral authority and wisdom... :-P
So the blackman orders a pint of of the Black Stuff in Hayes' pub in Moneygall, he hands the barman a Fiver and says; "I HOPE there is some CHANGE with that!" :-P
Their ultimate goal is NAMBLA legitimacy.
"So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause." -Padme, Star Wars III, Sith
So do I. Just don't get caught.
"Mr. Prime Minister, there is only one important question facing us, and that is the question whether the white race will survive." -- Leonid Brezhnev to James Callahan
No doubt. We have a pro-pederasty advocate seeking the nomination to run for President here: sites.google.com/site/norrisarticle/ I can only imagine the reason that story got leaked again to the media is because Norris is overtly gay, and TPTB only want closeted gays in position of power.. lol
So the blackman orders a pint of of the Black Stuff in Hayes' pub in Moneygall, he hands the barman a Fiver and says; "I HOPE there is some CHANGE with that!" :-P
Yeah, the Catholic priest promoting a man and a woman living as brother and sister rather then divorce is healthy behavior to encourage. If people spent half as much energy trying to take rights away from others working to strengthen and promote heterosexual marriage, everyone would be be better off.
No harm no foul.
"Mr. Prime Minister, there is only one important question facing us, and that is the question whether the white race will survive." -- Leonid Brezhnev to James Callahan
Agreed. The first marriage license in the United States was granted so that an interracial couple could marry.
"Mr. Prime Minister, there is only one important question facing us, and that is the question whether the white race will survive." -- Leonid Brezhnev to James Callahan
#2. To: yukon, A K A Stone (#1)
#3. To: Flintlock (#2)
by HAPPY2BME-4UM
REVEALED: Yukon's True Daddy - Father's Everywhere Ask God For Forgiveness, Repent In Shame and Wonder
#4. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM, 4 (#0)
#5. To: Jethro Tull (#4)
If this little Clique of Crap were all Ruptured up late this afternoon, the only loser would be god.
#6. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#0)
"This man is Jesus,” shouted one man, spilling his Guinness as Barack Obama began his inaugural address. “When will he come to Kenya to save us?"
-Schweizerische Schuetzenzeitung (Swiss Shooting Federation) April, 1941
#7. To: Jethro Tull (#4)
If this little Clique of Crap were all Ruptured up late this afternoon, the only loser would be god.
#8. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#0)
#9. To: Prefrontal Vortex (#8)
I miss Paul Lynde.
#10. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#0)
live and let live.
Once you go armadillo, you never go back.
#11. To: Armadillo (#10)
#12. To: Ferret (#11)
#13. To: Ferret (#11)
to loving each other in an enduring way.
No Planes. Think about it. ................. Guaranteed Penetration (no it's not porn)................. Israelis For 9/11 Truth
#14. To: Jethro Tull (#4)
If this little Clique of Crap were all Ruptured up late this afternoon, the only loser would be god.
#15. To: carenot (#9)
#16. To: carenot (#9)
I hope Cheney's daughter marries Allan Keyes' daughter.
#17. To: Ferret (#11)
Homosexuality doesn't bother me at all.
When I became a nudist one of my concerns was gay people. Turns out my concerns were unfounded. Gay people are just like anyone else.
They love each other just like hetero couples do, and they love children just like hetero couples do.
From a libertarian point of view, it's none of my business who marries who.
As Jesus said, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
Once you go armadillo, you never go back.
#18. To: Ferret (#11)
loving each other in an enduring way.
#19. To: wudidiz (#13)
#20. To: Armadillo, 4 (#17)
#21. To: irishthatcherite (#19)
I think by "enduring" he means the bumee's willingness to endure his arsehole getting torn up by the bummer's flute... :-P
#22. To: irishthatcherite (#18)
No Planes. Think about it. ................. Guaranteed Penetration (no it's not porn)................. Israelis For 9/11 Truth
#23. To: farmfriend (#21)
well I can see you are no fun at all.
#24. To: wudidiz (#22)
Next thing you know, you'll be able to marry your pet dog or cat or what-have-you.
#25. To: irishthatcherite, wudidiz (#24)
I'd say it will progress to the dog collar, and then the dog. lol
#26. To: Ferret (#11)
I support marriage for any two human beings willing to commit themselves to loving each other in an enduring way.
#27. To: farmfriend (#25)
Their ultimate goal is NAMBLA legitimacy.
#28. To: irishthatcherite (#18)
#29. To: carenot (#9)
I hope Cheney's daughter marries Allan Keyes' daughter.
#30. To: Lod (#20)
That's a private contract which the state has no lawful right to license.
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