Still Hope For Marriage Equality in New York?

Sorry, but...

The word 'marriage' should not be even mentioned in New York until after SONDA is rectified.

Count me as one Blender who will be shedding no tears over the non-bringing-up of the marriage bill.

Flame me if you wish - but I'm sick and f**king tired of having my ability to obtain/retain employment pushed further and further down the agenda.

>^..^<

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by: KatRose @ Wed Nov 11, 2009 at 09:38:48 AM CST

I'm with you, in part

We get to blame this one on Governor Paterson.  When the Governor calls a special session, he controls the agenda.  The legislature does not have to act on the agenda, even if the members do have to show up.

I have on a number of occasions called on the Governor to include both GENDA and DASA, as well a marriage equality, on the special session agenda.  I even scripted things so that he would put them in order - DASA, GENDA, Marriage, to reflect the 2009 Assembly votes (DASA was passed in that chamber nearly unanimously, while GENDA passed with more votes than Marriage).  In addition, both DASA and GENDA have more than enough votes in the Senate to pass by my last count (GENDA has at least 34 votes).  Marriage, by my last count, is anywhere between two and five votes short of the magic 32 needed for Senate passage - though there are no Republicans openly planning to vote yes on Marriage, the minority leadership intends to let its members vote their conscience rather than imposing party disipline.  I believe Senator Duane when he indicates that he believes the votes will be there.

I also had a commitment from Senator Duane's office, the very morning that things imploded in June, that GENDA was going to go to a vote that Friday! If it were not for the shenanigans, GENDA would already have become law.

Governor Paterson MUST be told by more people than just me, that by not placing DASA and GENDA on the agenda, he is showing callous indifference to the safety of schoolchildren, and to the human rights of the trans community, and that this egregious failure on his part WILL be reflected in the way we think of him in 2010.

For their part, the leadership of the legislature can call a special session on their own, in which they can control the agenda.  A failure to call a session for the Senate to address DASA, GENDA and MArriage (if MArriage has not been voted on), should elicit the idea that NO state senator, Democrat or Republican, will be supported in November 2010 (unless they pass these bills fairly early in 2010).

I really do not want to run a primary against my own State Senator, Suzi Oppenheimer.  But she is responsible as the chair of the Education committee, for holding up DASA on a bogus claim that it would cost $$ to implement.  And if these bills do not all get their votes, I am going to have to run a primary (unless she retires).  I don't know what my chances are, and I don't know if I can put together a campaign team (and I do know I am a terrible fundraiser, so I need real help there - on the other hand, I thnk I would be a very good state senator, and I am not a Janie one-note like the probable Republican opponent, Liz Feld, who despite being the Mayor of Larchmont, focused on a purely bogus issue in her last campaign against Suzi).

We should be running LGBT candidates in EVERY senate district - whether or not the incumbent supports our bills, because the incumbent has not done enough to get these bills passed.

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by: Joann Prinzivalli @ Wed Nov 11, 2009 at 16:53:19 PM CST

[ Parent ]

It figures

Van Capelle expressed satisfaction that his group has the assurance it has sought for a reasonably prompt debate and vote, and Duane said he was "happy" with the outcome.

figures they'd be happy.  They are protected by law from being thrown out of their apartment, fired from their jobs or being denied service in a hotel or restaurant because of who they are.  They have ignored the gender varaint people in NY for years with no real consequence.  There's no reason for them to fight for the inclusion of gender identity/expression in the law.  They are cissexual and cisgender.  They don't have to worry about it, they have privilege.

I'm beginning to think that gender variant people in NY had better get used to the idea that they will never get state level inclusion into non discrimination law.  Once the GLB organizations achieve marriage equality there will never be enough resources devoted to the cause of inclusion.  Look at how little is being spent now, on our behalf.  Why should the trans community support these people?  The reasons to do so are dwindling fast.

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by: Emelye Waldherr @ Wed Nov 11, 2009 at 10:42:51 AM CST

On the other hand

We've been having some success (and some failures) in the litigation route.  The caselaw in New York is maddeningly inconsistent.

But I agree, we have to do something - see my response to KatRose for more.

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by: Joann Prinzivalli @ Wed Nov 11, 2009 at 16:55:01 PM CST

Waste of time that ought to have gone to gender equality

The Senate leaders have yet to deliver and if they did in fact agree it would only have been because Diaz was assured of the votes necessary to defeat it.

We need protections on Gender Expression in New York, not only for the Trans community but for the entire range of gender role "violators" still being harrassed.

Wrong priotity, wrog message to too many people still being actively and legally discriminated against

I tell you Chica that no greater abomination exists than women denying their spirit of sisterhood and instead becoming the oppressor. -Rebeca, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

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by: MauraHennessey @ Thu Nov 12, 2009 at 06:29:55 AM CST