The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend: "a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).
"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist." (Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger." (MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush
who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
h/t to my favorite carpetbagging tax-delinquent heterosupremecist theocrat Gary Randall for keeping me up to date on the haps in NY :)
Governor Paterson says he's secured a commitment by Senate leaders that there will be a vote on the marriage billduring the Nov 16-17special legislative session by the end of the year. The Assembly passed the marriage equality bill months ago and Paterson has promised to sign it if it makes it through the Senate.
Update: The Senate has adjourned until Tuesday at a time yet to be determined. Not surprisingly, there's some doubt as to when the vote will really happen. I've been informed by Blend reader Stephen that the AP video below is misleading because the Patterson segment is actually from a week ago. Sure enough, it was from 11/11/09. You can watch the unedited video here, and hear the Governor say that he will put the bill on the Nov 16-17 agenda, but that the only real time commitment made by Senate leadership is to debate the bill and take a vote by the end of the year. FYI here's a WNYC story posted this morning on the subject.
Flanked by four members of the State Senate Democratic majority and the leader of New York's LGBT lobby, Governor David A. Paterson announced an agreement by which the Senate leadership has, for the first time, agreed to debate and vote on a marriage equality bill before the end of 2009.
"This is the first time that the Senate leadership has indicated that it will support a vote on marriage equality," the governor said.
"This is a stunning and very happy development in this process. I will continue to place marriage equality on any special sessions that I call on Monday and Tuesday because I feel that the bill should be debated immediately. However, I have profound respect for the leadership of the Senate and the process that they took to bring us to this vote."
Paterson was joined by the Senate's deputy majority leader, Jeffrey Klein, who represents portions of the Bronx and Weschester, Brooklyn Senator Eric Adams, Manhattan Senator Eric Schneiderman, and Thomas K. Duane, the out gay Chelsea senator who is the lead sponsor of the marriage equality bill. Alan Van Capelle, the executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, was also on hand.
According to the Daily News, 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.
The State Senate delayed a highly anticipated vote on same-sex marriage on Tuesday, putting off the issue indefinitely as gay rights supporters continued to lobby for additional votes.
Republicans and Democrats said that as of Tuesday afternoon, the measure was still several votes short of the 32 necessary for approval. About five Democrats remained either opposed or noncommittal, meaning that Republican votes were needed to secure passage.
But not enough Republicans have committed to voting yes, legislators said. The Democrats have a 32-30 majority in the Senate.
It was unclear when the Senate would take the issue up.
NYCLU: Failure to Vote on Marriage Bill a Missed Opportunity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2009 - The New York Civil Liberties Union today expressed disappointment about the State Senate's failure to vote on legislation to give lesbian and gay couples the ability to marry in New York State.
"The senators missed an opportunity to make history and embrace fairness for all New York families," said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. "Marriage is a defining civil rights issue of our day, and unfortunately, the State Senate has taken a position of 'no action' on it."
The State Assembly passed the marriage bill in May, and Governor Paterson had pledged his support for it. The bill includes a religious exemption to make clear that it only impacts marriage as a civil institution - clergy will not have to solemnize marriages should the Senate approve the bill.
"The time for our senators to stop the political maneuvering and lay their cards on the table is long overdue," Lieberman said. "Do they support fairness and protecting families or not?"
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont and Iowa have legalized marriage for lesbian and gay couples, but New Yorkers remain unable to get married in their home state.
In June, the NYCLU launched www.MarriageNY.com, a website featuring a dozen New York couples explaining why the right to get married matters to them.
New York's Legislature is meeting in extraordinary session to confront a $3.2 billion deficit and possibly hold a landmark vote to provide final legislative approval of same-sex marriage.
However, there were no agreements Monday that were certain to be part of Tuesday's session.
The Senate may also take up a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Even if the issue comes to a vote, it remains unclear whether 35 senators would give it the support needed.
Advocates on both sides of the issue lobbied senators over the weekend, but it was still unclear whether the measure could earn the 32 votes needed for approval. Democrats hold a shaky 32-to-30 majority in the Senate -- and the measure does not have full support across the party line.
Those who favor the bill believe now might be the best time to try and push through the measure, as all 212 seats in the Legislature and the governor's post are up for election in 2010.
The possible vote will come just a week after Maine narrowly rejected its own version of a same-sex marriage bill.
According to The New York Times, supporters of the bill in Albany believe they can count on about 25 votes for the legislation at this time.
"The stakes are much higher now, following Maine, and it would be an enormous boost to the movement to prevail in New York," said Matt Foreman, a gay rights advocate who has served as the head of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York's leading gay rights group told the Times.
But, he added, "if we don't win marriage in New York in this special session, it's going to be a very hard lift next year."
Hop over to Joe.My.God for coverage of a rally in College Point, Queens, NY, where 300 people marched in support of Jack Price, who was brutally beaten in the area; he suffered a broken jaw, bruised ribs, a collapsed lung and multiple other injuries. These are photos he said to spread around. Background via Edge NY's Michael K. Lavers:
Daniel Aleman, 26, and Daniel Rodriguez,Jr., 21, allegedly beat Jack Price, 49, outside an all-night deli on the corner of College Point Avenue and 18th Avenue around 3 a.m. on Oct. 9. Price's sister-in-law, Joanne Guarneri, marched arm-and-arm with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Congressman Anthony Weiner, City Comptroller William Thompson, Jr., Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and other politicians, activists and local residents down College Point Avenue. She also spoke at a rally at a local park.
"They [Aleman and Rodriguez] nearly beat my brother-in-law to death for $10 and a pack of cigarettes," Guarneri said. "We have to stop violence in College Point. We have to take back our streets."
Amanda Guarneri echoed her mother's anger before she and other members of her family marched. They [Aleman and Rodriguez] are a disgrace," the 15-year-old told EDGE. "They should be locked up forever. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."
What's disgusting is that supporters for Aleman and Rodriguez showed up at this rally. Given that this attack against Price is only one of a series of gay bashings that have been reported in Queens, people should remember that Blue states where laws on bias crimes may be strong doesn't mean the hate goes away. Joe:
After a 15-minute march down College Point Boulevard to the sullen or unknowing stares of locals, we were shocked to find a group of 20 or so counter-protesters, PRO gay bashers, already in a pen perilously close to the park where the rally was to take place. Leading the pro-bashers was Mr. Leviticus Tattoo Douchbag himself. He and his co-thugs wore stickers in support of the jailed cowards as they shouted "Free Daniel Rodriquez!" and "No hate crime!" Among their signs was "Daniel doesn't hate gays!" Riiiight. Fortunately, there was a huge NYPD presence on hand and the two groups were not permitted to get closer than shouting distance.
Surf over to Joe's for more, including reactions from locals.
"We know there is a chilling effect when the community perceives police will not respond to anti-LGBT violence issues..We have to work with the police to understand what anti-LGBT violence looks like, but we also need to be clear with the police what the responses are Training has to be consistent and in all precincts." -- Sharon Stapel, executive director of the Anti-Violence Project in New York
Three men who happened to walk past a bar on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan were gay-bashed, but when officers responded, there was only no arrest, but no contact information of the perp or any notes were taken. (EDGE):
Three men who said they suffered an anti-gay attack over the weekend in Manhattan claim New York Police Department officers failed to adequately respond to it.
WPLJ DJ Blake Hayes told EDGE a man assaulted Broadway performer Danny Calvert and another friend as they walked past McCoy’s Bar on Ninth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen early Saturday morning. Hayes said the incident began after the alleged perpetrator flicked a cigarette butt that hit his friend. He added the man said "keep moving, faggot" after his friend confronted him. Hayes said the man proceeded to shove Calvert into a parked car and punch his other friend in the mouth.
Hayes said NYPD officers quickly responded after he and his friends called 911. He maintains, however, they did not arrest the alleged perpetrator or even take his contact information.
"The police never wrote down a thing," Hayes alleged. "They never looked at ID from him-or any of us. They didn’t have any notepads out."
Christine Quinn, Speaker of the New York City Council, issued a statement on the assault.
Early Saturday morning there was a report of an anti-LGBT attack in Hell's Kitchen in which two individuals were the victims of a physical assault. I am obviously outraged by news that another bias attack has occurred in our city. But I am also deeply concerned by reports from the victims that NYPD officers responding to the scene did not appropriately recognize the seriousness of the incident. In fact, it has been reported that they failed to attempt to apprehend or even to collect contact information from the alleged assailant. If these reports are true, the behavior of the police officers involved was also outrageous and merits swift action by the police department.
In response I have spoken to Police Commissioner Kelly's office. They have agreed to conduct an investigation of these reports, and to have police officials meet personally with the victims this week. I am very gratified that the police department has agreed to my requests, and urge them to complete a swift and thorough investigation.
One of the most significant tools that have helped us to combat hate crimes here in New York City is having a strong police response to incidents when they occur. There was a time in our city when victims of hate crimes did not feel that the police were their allies. Any time a crime of this nature occurs, victims need to know they will be taken seriously.
To their credit, the NYPD have demonstrated that they normally respond aggressively and appropriately to such crimes. But even one such failure can begin to undermine all of our collaborative and historic efforts. In addition, every victim deserves to have their incident taken as seriously as any other. I will continue to work with advocates and the NYPD to increase and expand training when needed, so police officers have the tools they need to respond appropriately to bias attacks.
I have to tell you it's pretty disgusting to see alleged non-action of law enforcement like this in deep Blue gay enclaves, but in some ways it's not surprising.
Below the fold, good advice from the NYC Anti-Violence Project outlining steps that you can take if you or someone you know is the victim of an anti-LGBT attack.
Four hundred years ago, the Dutch East India Company dispatched from Amsterdam the Englishman Henry Hudson to find the fabled northwest passage, a route to the Orient. He was stymied in that endeavor by a river that didn't run through it (the Hudson), but along the way, on September 11, 1609, he did "discover" Manhattan Island. The Dutch colony of Nieuw Amsterdam would be founded there in 1625.
This Spring, Amsterdam sent out a different sort of emissary. Not emissaries of corporate greed, but emissaries of love seeking to celebrate the freedom of marriage equality with their New Yorker cousins. Five LGBT bi-national Dutch-American couples followed the emissaries back to the canals of Amsterdam to wed there on August 1, 2009, Gay Pride day.
Picture caption: "Dutch-born Stephan Hengst, right, puts a ring on the finger of his husband Patrick Decker, who was born in U.S., after being married by Amsterdam's Mayor Job Cohen, center. Cohen married five American-Dutch gay couples on Saturday. All five couples had at least one partner from New York, where a battle over the legalization of gay marriage rages on."
Ah, New York bureacracy. Paper pushing like this guarantees something we'd see a marriage fly under the radar. (PageOneQ):
New York City's marriage-licensing officials were either asleep at the switch or chose to make a profound political statement when they granted a marriage licence late last month to two men.
In a New York Post exclusive, Hakim Nelson and Jason Stenson married on May 26 with nary a raised eyebrow among the oblivious city bureaucrats who not only OK'd the marriage license, but conducted the ceremony, despite gay marriage being illegal in the state.
The Post notes that one half of the blissfully married duo arrived for their wedding ceremony in a dress, which was perhaps enough to fool city officials.
Nelson -- who goes by the name "Kimah" and hopes to one day have surgery to become a "full female" -- wore an orange dress and white leggings, his straight, brown hair falling to his shoulders.
The gullible clerk didn't seem to notice that both Nelson, 18, and Stenson, 21, have male first names. By a fluke, Nelson's ID card has an "F" for female on it, because the official who issued it in April assumed from his appearance that he was a woman.
..."I was scared. I thought they would ask for more paperwork from me because I have a male name," Nelson said. The clerk didn't. Instead she asked questions about the couple's jobs and addresses -- which they listed as Sylvia's Place, a city shelter for gay, lesbian and transgender youth -- but nothing about their gender.
And it's nice to see that this newsmaking couple is black -- this kind of visibility is important. The marriage, of course, is invalid.
From the press release:
"An historic change in leadership is taking place at this moment and a new bipartisan, coalition is being established that is bringing real reform to the Senate RIGHT NOW."
Several Senate sources say two Democrats - Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada Jr. - are poised to announce that they have decided to cross the aisle and caucus with the Republicans out of anger at Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith.
Homophobe Sen. Rubén Díaz Sr. is also making noise that he plans to cross over to fulfill his threat of doing so if a marriage equality bill comes to the floor.
"Today? No. Tomorrow? Who knows? Tomorrow is another day. It's always another day. You ask me do I plan to do that. I say, no. In the future, who knows what the future brings."
"The only thing I can tell you, and you can interpret this any which way you want: When I give my word, I keep my word. In order for me to break my word, you have to break yours first."
It's a (typically) cryptic way of Diaz Sr. confirming the worst fears of marriage advocates - that there was indeed a deal between himself and Smith that the gay marriage bill would not come to the floor in exchange for Diaz Sr.'s support of Smith for majority leader. And now, in Diaz Sr.'s mind, if Smith brings the bill to the floor, all bets are off.
UPDATE: From Malcolm Smith's office --
STATEMENT FROM AUSTIN SHAFRAN, PRESS SECRETARY FOR SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MALCOLM A. SMITH
"This was an illegal and unlawful attempt to gain control of the Senate and reverse the will of the people who voted for a Democratic Majority. Nothing has changed, Senator Malcolm A. Smith remains the duly elected Temporary President and Majority Leader. The real Senate Majority is anxious to get back to governing, and will take immediate steps to get us back to work."
This is interesting. In New York, a letter from Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer pressing state lawmakers to pass a marriage equality bill is making its way through the Assembly.
"We have expressed our support for full marriage equality in New York and for a reworking of federal law that denies full federal legal equality to anyone who is lawfully married in any state," the two wrote. "Passage of this bill will be a vital step to achieving that goal."
Joe.My.God has coverage of yesterday's bible-beater rally against marriage equality at Gov. Paterson's office, featuring, as Joe calls him "Homophobe #1 state Sen. Ruben Diaz." Joe said that the out-of-state buses drove in about 10K of the die hard bigots:
The evangelicals stayed mostly very positive, I will say, delivering nothing by smiles and heavily-accented "Jesus loves you" type messages as they passed the 50-60 LGBT activists waving "Thank You, Governor" placards and banners. Only the men shouted "REPENT!!", which I found interesting. The NYPD had set up eight block-long pens along Third Avenue, six for the evangelicals - which were full - and two for the good guys (which was about 1.75 more pens than we needed.)
To counter that drivel, Joe has a slideshow of Gov. David Paterson, Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Broadway stars...
This just landed in my inbox. According to a Quinnipiac University poll released today, New York State voters are split 46% to 46% in support of marriage equality. However, the schism and inability of anyone to successfully tackle religion-based bigotry in the black community plays itself out --- black voters are opposed 57% to 35% with white voters just squeaking over the favorable line at 47% to 45%.
In this latest survey of more than 2,800 voters, New York State voters support same-sex civil unions 65% to 27 percent with 67% to 24 percent support from white voters and 52% to 39 percent support from black voters.
Jews support same-sex marriage 61% to 34 percent as Catholics oppose it 53% to 39 percent and Protestants say no 55% to 38 percent. Voters who attend religious services at least once a week oppose same-sex marriage 66% to 26 percent, while those who attend services less frequently support same-sex marriage 56% to 36 percent. Women support the measure 49% to 42 percent while men oppose it 51% to 42 percent.
Democrats support same-sex marriage 59% to 34 percent, but Republicans oppose it 68% to 24 percent while independent voters split with 46 percent in favor and 45 percent opposed. Same-sex marriage wins 61% to 33 percent support among voters 18 to 34 years old and gets 48% to 44% support among voters 35 to 54 years old, while voters over 55 oppose it 55% to 37%.
..."By religion only, Jewish voters are in favor. Catholics and Protestants, especially those who get to church more often, are opposed," Carroll added.
...New York State voters reject 63% to 32% the argument that same-sex marriage is a threat to traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Voters in every racial and religious group, men and women reject the argument. Only Republicans split 48% to 48%.
...But voters say by a narrow 49% to 46% margin that denying same sex couples the right to marry is discrimination. White voters split 49% to 47% while black voters say 48% to 44% that this is not discrimination.
UPDATE: Roll call here.The New York Assembly voted 89 - 52 Tuesday evening to pass a marriage equality bill (A07732). Governor Paterson has vowed to sign the bill if it makes it through the Senate.
Interesting that the NYT story didn't get into specifics of the roadblocks ahead in the senate, such as our friend Ruben "As long as you need me, there will be no gay marriage" Diaz. Rather, they made much of the smart political maneuvering by the Assembly to facilitate "yes" votes from squeamish senators.
Supporters of the bill aggressively sought new votes, particularly from Assembly members whose districts lie within Senate districts where a senator's vote is believed to be in play. As a matter of strategy, same-sex marriage advocates said that they hoped to use those votes as a way to leverage support from senators who are worried that supporting the measure could cost them politically.
Much of the strategy was apparently orchestrated by Danny O'Donnell. Excerpts from that story after the flip.
In Albany on Tuesday, Governor David Paterson lent his passion and willingness to frame LGBT equality as a question of civil rights to the cause of marriage equality. Senator Thomas Duane, an out gay Chelsea Democrat, displayed a jovial enthusiasm reminiscent of Senator Ted Kennedy when he's at the top of his game. And Upper West Side Democratic Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, the Legislature's other out gay Irishman, presented an argument, backed by his success in steering marriage equality through his chamber and delivered with his trademark lawyerly precision, about how a winning majority can be cobbled together.
But as more than 2,000 grassroots activists, in Albany April 28 for the Empire State Pride Agenda's (ESPA) Equality & Justice Day lobbying effort, gathered at lunchtime on the lawn in front of the State Capitol, it was Teresa Sayward, an Assembly Republican from Willsboro in the "North Country," well upstate from the capital, who delivered the most telling case for just how marriage equality could be a winner this year. Looking out at the crowd, Sayward, whose son Glenn is gay, said, "What this makes me wonder is why we don't have more representatives speaking out from the Republican Party, because this is a Republican and a conservative issue. This is a civil rights issue. It's an issue of less government. To the greatest extent possible, government should stay out of your life and let you live it in quiet enjoyment."
...Asked by Gay City News Tuesday what she was hearing from her Republican colleagues, particularly on the Senate side, she said, "They have been listening. Have they come far enough? No, they haven't. Will they? I think they will. Especially when they look at my numbers." She explained that she ran unopposed in both 2006 and 2008, but won bigger after she took her marriage vote than before. The Conservative Party dumped her from their line, but on the Independence line she was the biggest vote-getter in the state.
Rudy's gay friends, particularly the couple who let the former NY mayor bunk in their pad when his marriage was going south (Howard Koeppel and his partner, Mark), must think this bloviating is pathetic. (NYP):
The former mayor, in an extended interview with The Post, also predicted that Gov. Paterson's high-profile effort to legalize gay marriage would anger many New Yorkers and spark a revolt that could help sweep Republicans into office in 2010.
"This will create a grass-roots movement. This is the kind of issue that, in many ways, is somewhat beyond politics," said Giuliani, a two-term mayor who unsuccessfully sought the GOP presidential nomination last year.
"I think gay marriage will obviously be an issue for any Republican next year because Republicans are either in favor of the position I'm in favor of, civil unions, or in many cases Republicans don't even favor civil unions," he continued.
The hypocrisy is astounding. Let's just say you really want to be governor badly if you're willing to expose yourself to extreme mockery. The Post's Fredric Dicker couldn't resist.
Giuliani, who is slated to address a Republican fund-raising gala in Albany tonight in what is widely described as further proof of his interest in running for governor, said he's committed to the traditional definition of marriage.
"Marriage, I believe, both traditionally and legally, has always been between a man and a woman and should remain between a man and woman," said Giuliani, who has been married three times.
Giuliani's position looks so retro, petty, and quite frankly hilarious in its hypocrisy now, particularly in the wake of Iowa and Vermont. If he thinks he can ride this homo-hate wave into office given his well-documented history of flip-flopping all over the place on equality, he's smoking something strong.
UPDATE: His gay friends plan to marry in Connecticut, and apparently don't think Rudy's biased. Oy, LCR madness:
While Rudy Giuliani is waging war on gay marriage, his pals Howard Koeppel and Mark Hsaio are planning to go to Connecticut next month to tie the knot.
They see no contradiction in the ex-mayor's opposition to gay marriage and the fact he roomed with them for six months in 2001.
"Rudy doesn't discriminate. I should know. I lived with him for six months," Koeppel, 68, a car dealer, said yesterday outside his West Side apartment.
Koeppel, a Republican, said he believes that Giuliani's opposition to gay marriage stems from his religious and political beliefs, not his personal ones.
Uh, what can you say behind that. No comment. I'm sure you have plenty to say...
UPDATE 2: A Siena Research Institute poll released today shows support for marriage equality in NY is stronger than ever (even as numbers for Gov. Paterson' favorability and job performance decline).
By a 53-39 percent margin, voters support the Senate passing a bill to legalize same sex marriages that would virtually ensure its becoming law. Democrats, independent and young voters, and women strongly support Senate passage. Republicans strongly oppose passage, with men, older voters, African Americans, and Protestants also opposed. Support is strongest in New York City. Every region of the state supports passage.
"By a fairly significant margin, voters would like to see New York join with Vermont, Massachusetts, Iowa, and other states in allowing same sex couples to marry here," Greenberg said. "For women and young voters it?s a resounding "yes.? Men and older voters are more closely divided and more likely to say "no? "
"As long as you need me, there will be no gay marriage."
-- NY State Senator Rubén Díaz, a Democrat who knows his party won't challenge him on his bigoted views.
This is a perfect example of why the Democratic party needs to check itself -- just because someone has a (D) behind their name does not mean they hold Dem principles, or even engage in rational thought -- a lack of understanding of the separation of church and state should at least be a baseline for god's sake.
"We will bring out thousands and thousands of Hispanic evangelical Christians in the city of New York to ask Governor Paterson to step aside."
What kind of Democrat is this? And worse, no person of color has any business discriminating, yet the Democratic party lets people like Diaz get away with this bigotry. Why? They need his vote. (NYT):
Mr. Díaz, a conservative Democrat and a Pentecostal minister, is one of the staunchest opponents of same-sex marriages in New York. Democrats took control of the State Senate in November, but they hold a slim majority, 32 to 30, and their leaders are fearful of alienating Mr. Díaz and others by holding a vote on same-sex marriage.
The fear is something I've been talking about for ages here on the Blend. White pols are afraid to hold POC bigots accountable for fear of losing the socially conservative (read religion-based homobigot) votes of those who otherwise are staunchly loyal Dem votes. They don't want the race card to be played (and those POC Dems know it), and thus the white pols -- and advocacy leaders of quite pale organizations -- feel rendered helpless -- and feel it's left to minority LGBTs to do the dirty work of calling these homophobes of color out.
The bottom line and the reality is that too many LGBTs of color who feel unwilling or unable to decloset to do so, and those who are aren't in positions of power in the LGBT establishment and thus the continued illusion people see is gay=white. And so the Rubén Díazs of the world continue to rule the roost unchecked by Dem peers:
He said he felt the timing of Mr. Paterson's announcement Thursday was particularly disrespectful to Christians, coming four days after Easter and a day after the installation of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan as the new leader of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of New York.
"We evangelical Christians just ended our holy week, and the Catholics are receiving their leaders this week," Mr. Díaz said. "He doesn't even give him a chance to come to the city, and boom that's the first thing that Archbishop Dolan is confronted with."
Mr. Díaz said he had sent a letter to Archbishop Dolan asking for a meeting. (The text of that letter, which Mr. Díaz's office released to reporters, did not directly mention same-sex marriage, although it praised Archbishop Dolan for "your message of love and respect for the dignity of all stages of human life, and respect for marriage and families.)
The Rev. Michael Lopez, of the Love, Power and Grace Church in the Bronx, who attended the meeting, said that same-sex marriage "is contrary not only to our beliefs, but to the Hispanic community. People have to understand that in the countries we come from this is not only a no no, it is something anti-Biblical and anti-religion."
What the hell does Easter week have anything to do with civil marriage? And Lopez throws down a another scare card -- announcing that he knows the view of the entire Hispanic community on the issue. Watch that go unchallenged. You see, this kind of B.S. is no problem for Díaz and like-minded Dems who share the view of Republican bible beaters that the U.S. needs to be a theocracy.
When are you going to see any NY Dem in that legislature go on the record calling out Díaz specifically for the ridiculous church-state conflation? Don't hold your breath. I would be pleasantly surprised to be wrong on this one.
And as it's quite obvious, this isn't a New York problem. This is a Democratic party problem. It manifests itself in the whole "go slow" attitude on legislation that during the election year promises sounded like change was around the corner; it's the whole "uh, oh, we need to be re-elected in 2010" nonsense; it's the sudden "we can't multitask on civil rights while the economy is in the crapper" whining. All of this was so predictable, given the past spineless of Dems we've seen over the years. They had the cover of being in the minority, but now in the majority, nothing much has changed.
You see, if you're going to effect change, as Gov. Paterson is trying to do with this legislation, you have to be prepared as a party to address the larger schism of race, religion and homophobia head-on. In a vacuum of a counter-message, the evangelical anti-gays plant seeds and watch them grow in these religious communities of color. Any success is not due to the brilliance of the Religious Right, but its ability and willingness to capitalize on the Democratic party's self-imposed weakness and impotence regarding discipline on basic civil rights issues because of the race card.
We can win these issues in the courts (and legislatures where a socially conservative minority population is small), but we will not have a serious impact on changing minds country-wide if our side remains silent on this matter. As you can see, even in a Blue state, characters like State Senator Díaz have no fear that the party is going to come down on him.
I missed this in all of the hustle and bustle, but it's worth your click. It is a moving video of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn at the introduction of the marriage bill yesterday by Gov. David Paterson.
"New Yorkers don't look at me and my partner and say, 'They are different. They deserve less.' New York is a state that was built and blazed on the idea that people should have equality and be treated the same...So that minority of people that have become too vocal and too listened to, look me in the eye and tell me that I deserve less. Look me in the eye and tell me that Kim and I aren't a family, that we don't struggle every day, that we don't pay taxes, that we don't work every day in this city. No one can look me or her in the eye and tell us that, because it is not true."
"We come to this debate with the wind at our back. The events in Connecticut and Massachusetts, the decisions in Iowa and in Vermont, give us the feeling that we can be effective. Rights should not be stifled by fear. What we should understand is that silence should not be a response to injustice."
...Anyone that has ever experienced degradation or intolerance would understand the solemn duty and how important it actually is. Anyone that's ever experienced antisemitism or racism, any New Yorker who is an immigrant, who has experienced discrimination, any woman who has faced harassment at work or suffered violence at home, any disabled person who has been mocked or marginalized, understands what we're talking about here. We have all known the wrath of discrimination. We have all felt the pain and the insult of hatred. This is why we are all standing here today. We stand to tell the world that we want equality for everyone. We stand to tell the world that we want marriage equality in New York State.
More from the NYT:
Comparing the status of gay men and lesbians with that of blacks, Jews, women, disabled people and other groups who were historically excluded from full political and social equality, Mr. Paterson said he would lead the movement to authorize same-sex marriage in the Empire State. "We have a crisis of leadership today," he declared. "We're going to fill that vacuum today."
...Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who spoke immediately after the governor at a morning news conference at Mr. Paterson's Midtown office, similarly cited New York's history of civil rights. "This is where Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony began the struggle for women's suffrage," Mr. Bloomberg said. "This is where the N.A.A.C.P. was founded 100 years ago - and they're bringing their convention back to the city this summer. I'm happy today and still today New York City is a major center for worker's rights, for immigrant rights and for gay rights."
So is there a chance in hell that this will go anywhere, or is this just window dressing in the wake of other marriage equality wins over the last week? It's pretty embarrassing that NY has been foot-dragging on this one for some time, with a handful of socially conservative Dems standing in the way.
Gov. David Paterson said Wednesday he plans to re-introduce legislation to make same-sex marriages legal in New York.
The legislation is expected to mirror a gay-marriage bill introduced in 2007 by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who -- with Paterson as his running mate -- campaigned in 2006 on a platform that included marriage equality.
"We'll put a bill out and let the people decide one way or the other," Paterson said Wednesday morning on WHCU-AM (870) in Ithaca.
But even with legislation from Paterson, the state Legislature has not signaled the bill would pass both houses. In 2007, the state Assembly passed Spitzer's marriage bill, but it stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate and remains that way now under Democratic control.
But in reality, the votes aren't there, but it would be an opportunity to put it out there for debate, which has its own value, as we saw in VT. Gov. Paterson said: "Why can't a bill just be on the floor and lose? If you have the votes later on to pass it, bring it back."
As my NC's General Assembly considers anti-bullying legislation (School Violence Prevention Act -- HB 548, SB #526)), the state of New York State's assembly has passed broadly inclusive legislation, Rep. Danny O'Donnell's Dignity For All Students Act, with only five opposing votes cast. (via release from O'Donnell's office):
The bill was recently amended to cover the broadest categories of students who face harassment and discrimination in our state's schools. While the amendment explicitly added weight, it also clarified that protections should not be limited to the categories listed -- actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or sex.
While the legislation regularly receives overwhelming majorities, Assembly Member O'Donnell remained receptive to arguments and suggestions that would ultimately make a stronger bill. By working closely with the Department of Education and with dissenting colleagues, he has crafted legislation that can be more easily implemented and will more likely accomplish its intended effect.
On the day of the bill's passage, Assembly Member O'Donnell remarked, "Too many students are bullied based on real or perceived differences with their classmates. Every student deserves an environment free of harassment and discrimination -- an environment that allows every child to reach his or her full potential. For too long, our education system has been blind to the plight of these students. I am proud that the Assembly remains willing to address this important issue, and that the Dignity for All Students Act continues to win support."
The Dignity For All Students Act would afford all persons in public schools an environment free of harassment and discrimination based on actual or perceived race, national origin, ethnic group, religion, disability, sexual orientation, weight, gender, or sex. The bill has been endorsed by Governor Paterson and has yet to be taken up by the Senate.
Assembly Member O'Donnell calls upon the Senate Leadership to immediately pass the legislation in that chamber.
Hop over to 
What's disgusting is that supporters for Aleman and Rodriguez showed up at this rally. Given that this attack against Price is only one of a series of gay bashings that have been reported in Queens, people should remember that Blue states where laws on bias crimes may be strong doesn't mean the hate goes away. Joe:
Early Saturday morning there was a report of an anti-LGBT attack in Hell's Kitchen in which two individuals were the victims of a physical assault. I am obviously outraged by news that another bias attack has occurred in our city. But I am also deeply concerned by reports from the victims that NYPD officers responding to the scene did not appropriately recognize the seriousness of the incident. In fact, it has been reported that they failed to attempt to apprehend or even to collect contact information from the alleged assailant. If these reports are true, the behavior of the police officers involved was also outrageous and merits swift action by the police department. 
"Today? No. Tomorrow? Who knows? Tomorrow is another day. It's always another day. You ask me do I plan to do that. I say, no. In the future, who knows what the future brings."
Rudy's gay friends, particularly the couple who let the former NY mayor bunk in their pad when his marriage was going south (
