Results tagged “samesex”

With "active" members of the State Senate a little indisposed this week, Governor Paterson must have turned up the heat in lobbying Former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno to come out and endorse his gay marriage bill. Today the Republican leader hopped in the leather captain's chair of the Brunomobile and potentially put the state's legalization of same-sex marriage into the fast lane. Bruno told the AP, "As a Republican, I believe in personal freedom. I opposed same sex marriage largely because the overwhelming majority of my caucus opposed it. As a relatively conservative Roman Catholic, I instinctively view marriage as the foundation of the family. However, that view really does conflict with the rights that are afforded all of us. This is America and we have inalienable rights ... life is short and we should all be afforded the same opportunities and rights to enjoy it." The AP mentions that Bruno's wife of 57 years Barbara just passed away in 2008. With several Democrats already opposing the bill, Paterson and company hope that Bruno's endorsement could pave the way for undecided GOP senators to come over and support it.

With a controversial bill to legalize same-sex unions still waiting in the wings for a Senate vote, Republicans and Democrats in Albany are bickering like an old married couple. Earlier this week, openly-gay Democratic Senator Thomas Duane—the bill's prime sponsor—predicted he had enough votes to pass the measure, but a survey of all State Senators contradicted that assertion. And yesterday Bronx Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., who opposes the bill, blasted Duane's loose talk: "If Senator Tom Duane has the necessary Senate votes to pass the homosexual marriage bill in New York State, then he should release the names of those Senators who are supporting the bill. If not, he should shut up."

Adding some extra toppings to what's shaping up to be the summer of ice cream vendors (complete with secret and not-so-secret wars), Serious Eats reports that a new contender, The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, has its official paperwork in the mail and is getting ready to roll out.

A survey of all 62 state Senators shows that a pending same-sex marriage bill faces tough odds of passing if brought to the floor for a vote. Majority Leader Malcolm Smith says he won't do that unless he's certain it has the 32 votes needed for passage, and the survey, conducted by NY1, would seem to contradict the bill's primary sponsor, Thomas Duane, who has optimistically predicted "there are enough votes for it to pass and a cushion." Reverend Jason McGuire of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms tells NY1, "We're very confident in the fact that this bill is quickly going to crash and burn."

New York State's only openly gay Senator, Thomas Duane (D-Manhattan), is telling the media that if the Senate votes on a bill to legalize same-sex marriages, it will pass. Duane, who is the bill's primary sponsor, tells Newsday, "Already there are enough votes for it to pass and a cushion." But that view was hotly disputed by other Senators, including Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, who supports gay marriage but refuses to bring the bill to the floor before the legislative session ends on June 22nd unless it's clear there are enough votes to pass it. Smith insists, "I don't have 32 votes that I know of." Senator Frank Padavan (R-Queens) says Duane's "dreaming," and Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., a fierce opponent of same-sex marriage, slammed Duane's prediction, telling the Daily News "It's unprofessional to be playing with people's minds." Governor Paterson, who'll sign the bill if it reaches his desk, is urging the Senate leadership to put the bill to a floor vote, regardless of the vote count. But openly voting on such a divisive issue would take political backbone, so Duane can probably just keep dreaming.

"Helloooo, this is Dr. Maya Angelou calling. Tell me something: Would you deny your son or your daughter the ecstasy of finding someone to love?" This was the question posed by the Pulitzer prize-winning poet over the phone to State Senator Shirley Huntley, a Queens Democrat who opposes same-sex marriage. It wasn't a pre-recorded robocall; it was actually Angelou, and at first Huntley thought it was a joke, telling the Times, "I said, ‘What?’ I heard the voice, and I said: ‘My God. It is her.’ And that was that."

This past Sunday afternoon Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon was one of many to speak at the marriage equality rally. In front of the large crowd that held the likes of Bloomberg and Patterson, she even got personal, taking a moment to announce her engagement to girlfriend Christine Marinoni. According to the Daily News, the 43-year-old "flashed the diamond engagement ring Marinoni gave her and said, 'It's time already.'" The actress also noted that "In an ideal world, we'd like to in New York, when it becomes legalized. We’re not going to wait forever, but we’re hoping it’s just around the corner...Sometime I think before the end of next summer, but we don’t have a date.”

This Sunday marks the annual Gay Pride Parade. The march will run from 5th Avenue & 52nd St. to Christopher & Greenwich St. beginning at noon -- so either join in on the fun, or adjust your driving and walking routes lest you incur some delays (NYC DoT has some tips). This year should be especially celebratory given that same-sex marriage is now legal in California!