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Gay pride parade draws top politicos
BY KAREN MATTHEWS The Associated Press

    NEW YORK — Gay residents cheered Gov. David Paterson on Sunday as he joined the city’s annual gay pride march a month after he directed state agencies to provide full marriage benefits to same-sex couples who were legally married elsewhere.
    “What he did … sends a message that leadership isn’t about waiting. It’s about finding the opportunity. It’s about finding the way to move progress and civil rights forward,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the city’s most powerful openly gay elected official.
    Tens of thousands of gay people and their supporters marched down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue in the always colorful celebration, which is officially called the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride March. A violent thunderstorm halfway through did not halt the parade.
    There were floats, marching bands, stilt walkers, motorcycle riders and bicycle riders wearing T-shirts that said “bike-sexual.”
    “I think it’s sensational,” said Dolores Stoia, who watched from behind police barricades. “I’m not really a big fan of parades, but it’s very entertaining.”
    Paterson, the first New York governor to march in the gay pride parade, took part even though he had cataract surgery to on Saturday.
    “The doctors told me I couldn’t
    1 march today,” he said. “I ran 8 /2 miles Friday. I can march today. And I will.”
    Even though gay couples cannot legally marry in New York, Paterson said last month that the state must recognize marriages legally performed in other states and countries that allow gay marriage.
    California began recognizing same-sex marriage this month, joining Massachusetts as the only U.S. states granting full marriage rights to gays.
    Jim Saslow carried a bouquet to New York’s march and wore a wedding gown stamped with the words, “Coming Here Soon?”
    “Everyone here is thinking if California can do it then we should be able to do it here soon,” he said.
    Martin Leff-Cinthus marched in a purple tunic and a curly lavender wig, a costume meant to honor Hyacinthus, who in Greek mythology was the beloved of the god Apollo.

CRAIG RUTTLE/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Motorcyclists ride on Eighth Street during the gay pride parade in New York on Sunday.

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How Same-Sex 'Marriage' Will Harm Christians

It is all about equal rights, the gay “marriage” lobby keeps telling us. We just want the right to marry, like everyone else.

That is what they are telling us. But that is not what they mean. If same-sex “marriage” becomes the law of the land, we can expect massive persecution of the Church.

As my friend Jennifer Roback Morse notes in the National Catholic Register, “Legalizing same-sex ‘marriage’ is not a stand-alone policy . . . Once governments assert that same-sex unions are the equivalent of marriage, those governments must defend and enforce a whole host of other social changes.”

The bad news is these changes affect other liberties we take for granted, such as religious freedom and private property rights. Several recent cases give us a sobering picture of what we can expect if we do not actively embrace—and even promote—same-sex “marriage.”

For instance, a Methodist retreat center recently refused to allow two lesbian couples to use a campground pavilion for a civil union ceremony. The state of New Jersey punished the Methodists by revoking the center’s tax-exempt status—a vindictive attack on the Methodists’ religious liberty.

In Massachusetts, where judges imposed gay marriage a few years ago, Catholic Charities was ordered to accept homosexual couples as candidates for adoption. Rather than comply with an order that would be harmful to children, Catholic Charities closed down its adoption program.

California public schools have been told they must be “gay friendly,” as Roback Morse notes. But it will not stop with public schools. Just north of the border in Quebec, the government told a Mennonite school that it must conform to provincial law regarding curriculum—a curriculum that teaches children that homosexuality is a valid lifestyle. How long will it be before the U.S. government goes after private schools?

Even speaking out against homosexuality can get you fired. Crystal Dixon, an associate vice president at the University of Toledo, was fired after writing an opinion piece in the Toledo Free Press in support of traditional marriage . . . Fired—for exercising her First Amendment rights!

Promoters of same-sex “marriage” seem to go out of their way to target Christian businesses and churches. Their goal, it seems, is not the right to “marry,” but to punish anyone who disagrees with them.

Clearly, there is a spiritual battle going on here: Christians are under attack because they are a public witness to the fact that a holy God created us male and female, and we will always put obedience to Him and His laws above obedience to any earthly demand for loyalty.

The coming persecution of Christians is one more reason why we need to get involved with efforts to pass laws at the state and federal level defining marriage as a legal relationship between one man and one woman. We must protect, not only genuine marriage, but also many of the freedoms we now take for granted: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, freedom to use private property the way we see fit—all are under threat.

And we must tell our friends and neighbors why gay “marriage” is not just about equality: It is about forcing religious believers to accept the validity of the homosexual lifestyle—or else.

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BILL NUMBER:  A6584A

TITLE OF BILL :
An act to amend the executive law, the civil rights law and the
education law, in relation to prohibiting discrimination based on
gender identity or expression; and to amend the penal law and the
criminal procedure law, in relation to including offenses regarding
gender identity or expression within the list of offenses subject to
treatment as hate crimes

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF THE BILL :
This bill would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or
expression, and includes offenses regarding gender identity or
expression under the hate crimes statute.

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NY State Passes Trans Inclusive Non-Disc Act

We New York gays are making all sorts of headway!

Not only do we have last week’s gay marriage push, but now the State Assembly today voted 102-33 to green light the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, which adds sexuality and gender identity to the state’s human rights act. All this action’s almost too much for us to handle!

Some background from Empire State Pride Agenda’s gleeful press release:

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First introduced in 2003, GENDA has a record 74 co-sponsors this year in the Assembly, up from 69 last year. The Pride Agenda, the over 200 organizational members of the GENDA Coalition and the LGBT community have been working closely with Assemblymember Gottfried and other Assembly supporters to build the momentum for passage that resulted in today’s vote.
…
In the Senate, GENDA (S.3753a) is sponsored by Senator Tom Duane and has 17 cosponsors, up from 14 last year. While none of the cosponsors are members of the Republican Majority, the Pride Agenda’s legislative scorecard shows GENDA to have the support of 27 [out of 62] Senators, including three Republicans.

Read the rest of the orgasmic release, after the jump…

Albany, New York, June 3, 2008 – Today the New York State Assembly voted 102-33 to amend the state’s human rights law to include anti-discrimination protections based upon gender identity and expression. The bill (A.6584a), known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) bans discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, credit, public accommodations, and other areas of everyday life.

“The Assembly has solidly demonstrated once again that it is the leader on civil rights and providing equality for our community where it didn’t exist before in New York,” said Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle. “We thank Assemblymember Richard Gottfried for his sponsorship and steadfast support of this bill. We also thank Speaker Silver and the Assembly Majority, the 74 cosponsors and the 102 Assemblymembers who passed this bill and understand the importance of providing an umbrella of anti-discrimination protection for all New Yorkers.”

First introduced in 2003, GENDA has a record 74 co-sponsors this year in the Assembly, up from 69 last year. The Pride Agenda, the over 200 organizational members of the GENDA Coalition and the LGBT community have been working closely with Assemblymember Gottfried and other Assembly supporters to build the momentum for passage that resulted in today’s vote.

“Transgender New Yorkers are in constant fear that they will lose their jobs, get kicked out of their home, or simply be denied service when they go into a restaurant. It goes without saying that these members of our community should be able to go about the business of living their lives openly and without fear,” said Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle.

Transgender activist Melissa Sklarz of New York City said about today’s vote, “Thank you New York State Assembly for standing up to say ‘no’ to discrimination against transgender New Yorkers. I can think of years of personal struggle in the job market and workplace without any legal protection and am now hopeful that there is a real chance that the next generation of transgender New Yorkers will not face these same difficulties.”

In terms of the Senate, the Pride Agenda’s Van Capelle said, “We now look to the New York State Senate to close this gaping hole in the New York State Human Rights Law. Governor Paterson has already said that he will sign this bill into law once the Senate acts.”

“My message to the Senate Majority is this: It’s now time to do what 78 percent of New York voters believe is the right thing to do and end this discrimination once and for all this year. Thirteen other states already have laws providing protections based upon gender identity and expression, along with 96 cities and counties. We also know that the private sector is far ahead of government with 153 Fortune 500 companies, including 26 based here in New York having policies in place that protect their transgender employees. Clearly, our state is lagging behind.”

In the Senate, GENDA (S.3753a) is sponsored by Senator Tom Duane and has 17 cosponsors, up from 14 last year. While none of the cosponsors are members of the Republican Majority, the Pride Agenda’s legislative scorecard shows GENDA to have the support of 27 Senators, including three Republicans.

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"FETAL VIABILITY" MEANS THE POINT IN PREGNANCY WHEN,  IN  THE  GOOD
   39  FAITH  MEDICAL  JUDGMENT  OF  A  PHYSICIAN, IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERALLY
   40  ACCEPTED MEDICAL STANDARDS APPLIED TO THE PARTICULAR FACTS OF  THE  CASE
   41  BEFORE  THAT  PHYSICIAN, THERE IS A REASONABLE LIKELIHOOD OF THE FETUS`S
   42 SUSTAINED  SURVIVAL  OUTSIDE  THE  UTERUS  WITHOUT  THE  APPLICATION  OF
   43  EXTRAORDINARY MEDICAL MEASURES.

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Support the Healthy Teens Act

Posted: 06/05/2008

Our young New Yorkers deserve better.

New studies show that 1 in 4 teenage girls has a sexually transmitted infection (STI). In New York, 40,000 teens will become pregnant this year.

New York currently has no designated funding for comprehensive sex education in our schools, although New York’s rates of unintended teen pregnancy and STIs are among the highest in the country. We need to give our teens age-appropriate and accurate sex-ed so that they can make healthy decisions for themselves.

The Healthy Teens Act (S.1342) can make this happen.

If this bill is passed, school districts, BOCES, school-based health centers and community-based organizations would be able to apply for grants to create and implement programs that will give New York students real sex ed.

The New York State Assembly has passed the Healthy Teens Act four years in a row with strong bi-partisan support. It’s time to get our Senate on board. Send a letter to your senator today and urge them to support the Healthy Teens Act.  

Quoted from Kevin March

http://www.prochoiceny.org/getinvolved/alerts/200806051.shtml

(Naral's NY dedicated site)



So, you ask what does the Healthy Teens Act actually have in it?

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Judge dismisses same-sex marriage benefits challenge

By RICK KARLIN, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
Last updated: 5:15 p.m., Tuesday, September 2, 2008

ALBANY -- Gov. David Paterson's order that state agencies recognize same-sex marriages from other states has withstood a challenge in State Supreme Court.
The administrative move, made back in May, stemmed from a case in the Rochester area where a woman sued her employer, Monroe Community College, because it initially refused to grant benefits to her female spouse after they were married in Canada, which recognizes same-sex marriage.

Following Paterson's decision, the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative group that opposes same-sex marriage, joined Republican lawmakers including Sen. Martin Golden, R-Brooklyn, and Assembly Republican Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, in suing the administration to stop its recognition of same-sex marriages.

Their suit, in Bronx State Supreme Court, was dismissed today.

To see the decision go to http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/.

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Same-sex marriage bill to return

By JOSEPH SPECTOR, Gannett News Service
First published in print: Thursday, April 9, 2009

ALBANY — 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 Legislature has not signaled the bill would pass both houses. In 2007, the Assembly passed Spitzer's marriage bill, but it stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate and remains that way now under Democratic control.

Paterson has been an outspoken supporter of marriage equality for same-sex couples and has indicated he would sign legislation to make it law. His legislation is expected to be submitted in advance of a major lobbying day in Albany by gay-rights groups on April 28.

The Democratic governor said he hopes the measure makes it to the Senate floor for a vote, even though he said he's not sure it would pass.

"Why can't a bill just be on the floor and lose?" he said, adding "if you have the votes later on to pass it, bring it back."

New York continues to debate same-sex marriages even as Vermont and Iowa legalized it in the past week.

Now, with the Senate in Democratic hands, gay-rights groups are more optimistic of the bill's passage this year.

With a program bill from Paterson, "it's just another level of support that we anticipate and are glad to have," Alan Van Capelle, executive director of.................http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=788514&category=REGION

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CAPITOL
Paterson to revive gay marriage bill
Governor: ‘Only ethical way to treat people’
BY MICHAEL VIRTANEN The Associated Press


    Gov. David Paterson plans to introduce legislation this week to legalize same-sex marriage, reviving a bill that died in 2007 and still faces strong opposition despite a new Democratic majority in the state Senate.
    Paterson, talking to reporters Tuesday in Hempstead, said “there is clearly a problem” when gays and lesbians in civil unions are denied 1,200 to 1,350 civil protections such as health care and pension rights because they’re not married.
    “The timing was always right. It’s just who is willing to take that step, and I am,” Paterson said. “I think it is, as other states are showing, the only ethical way to treat people who want to live together in peace under the civil law. So my general feeling about all these issues is the right ethical decision will inevitably be the right political decision.”
    In radio interviews last week Paterson said he believes it will eventually become law. But polls show legalizing gay marriage remains controversial in New York, and some gay marriage advocates are worried that bringing the issue up before there’s clear support to pass it could set back efforts to legalize it here as well as in other states.
    Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, a Manhattan Democrat, said he will attend Thursday’s announcement and sponsor the governor’s bill, which will be identical to the one backed by then Gov. Eliot Spitzer as a civil-rights measure when it passed the Assembly 85-61 two years ago.
    “I’m hoping to do better than that this time,” O’Donnell said Tuesday.
    “I’m very happy the governor has made this a priority,” O’Donnell said. “When we got the bill from Gov. Spitzer in 2007, we didn’t have the votes either. I did that in 2007 and I intend to do that again in 2009.”
    The Democrat-controlled Assembly passed the bill with three Republicans voting in favor, as well as some Democrats who faced criticism in their upstate districts for their support. It died in the Senate, where the Republican majority kept it from going to a vote.
    Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith supports the measure but still doesn’t believe there are enough votes to pass it, spokesman Austin Shafran said. The Democrats have a 32-30 majority.
    “Most significantly, an issue of this importance demands more than a symbolic gesture and empty rhetoric,” Shafran said, acknowledging the Senate doesn’t have to act on a bill just because it was introduced. “We are committed to the process of securing the votes for passage of marriage equality, and as the leader has said in the past, it will pass as soon as we have those votes.”
    Mark Hansen, spokesman for the Senate Republicans, said Tuesday that, “Our conference is opposed to gay marriage and that has not changed.”
    “I think this is an attempt to gain momentum,” said the Rev. Jason McGuire, legislative director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, which opposes the measure. “But the simple reality is this is a very controversial issue, especially with this talk about the Senate majority being as razor thin as it is.
    “The arm twisting’s going to begin,” said McGuire, who said he thinks at least three Democrats are now against the bill.
    In Vermont, lawmakers voted last week to override the governor’s veto of a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry. The week before, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that marriage couldn’t be restricted to unions of a man and a woman. It’s also legal in Massachusetts and Connecticut. California briefly allowed gay marriage last year until a voter initiative in November repealed it.
    A Quinnipiac University poll last week showed 41 percent of New York voters support same-sex marriage, up from 35 percent almost two years earlier, while..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00103

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Ellen Goodman
Feds should recognize states’ legal gay marriages
Ellen Goodman is a nationally syndicated columnist.

    They are not the only married couple in America who talk about taxes and ulcers in the same sentence. Nor are they the only couple who believe they are paying more than they should. On that ground they are part of a noisy majority.
    But they are a couple for whom tax season also entails an identity crisis. You see, Melba Abreu and Beatrice Hernandez file state taxes as what they are — a legally married Massachusetts couple. But under federal law, they have to file federal taxes as what they aren’t — two single women.
    This identity crisis is not just some psychological blip on the cheerful landscape of their family life. In the last four years, the government’s refusal to consider them a married couple has cost the writer and the CFO of a nonprofit about $5,000 a year. As Beatrice puts it, “We don’t know anyone for whom $20,000 and counting isn’t significant.”
    This is one reason they joined seven other married couples and three surviving spouses last month in bringing a legal complaint against DOMA, the law that deliberately denies federal benefits to same-sex marriages. The other plaintiffs include a postal worker who can’t get health care coverage for her spouse, a widower ineligible for higher Social Security benefits, and a couple who can’t get a passport under their married name.
    The suit is not just timely because we all share a certain post-tax traumatic stress syndrome. But we have just doubled the number of states in which same-sex couples can be legally married. First, Iowa joined Massachusetts and Connecticut. Then Vermont followed with the first legislative approval. And a bill was just introduced in New York, where people cringe to find themselves lagging behind Iowa.
    This is all part of a careful stateby-state strategy. But as a side effect, it’s producing more Americans with a strange dual citizenship: Married in the eyes of Iowa, single in the eyes of Washington. Eligible for a pension, health care, family leave in the eyes of the state; ineligible in the eyes of the feds.
    DOMA is doing it. The so-called Defense of Marriage Act passed in the panic of 1996 when it looked as if Hawaii would become the first state with gay marriage. The purpose was as obvious and discriminatory as Rep. Henry Hyde’s declaration that DOMA was to express this “disapprobation” for homosexuality.
    The day that it passed, Dean Hara remembers deliberately going to have dinner in the members’ lounge with his longtime partner, Rep. Gerry Studds, to face down his colleagues. Now, 13 years later, after their marriage and Studds’ death, Hara is denied congressional survivor’s annuities of $60,000 a year.
    “Gerry worked for the federal government for 25 years,” says Hara. “We were legally married. Why am I being treated differently as a..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00700