marriage equality in NY State

[rm]

As I've mentioned before, even earlier today, marriage equality stuff in NY State is weird.

Due to unrelated political drama in the state capital, the issue has largely been side-lined, along with the rest of the legislative agenda for a while now. And, since NY State recognizes same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, there's been a certain lack of urgency on the subject.

Our assembly as passed a bill for marriage equality three times. But our state senate is notoriously conservative and this has largely been a fight no one wanted to have or thought we could win.

Well, the fight is happening right now. And no one knows what the outcome will be (very weird for a state body that hashes everything out in private before anything happens in public, often leaving public debates meaningless on done deals).

But it seems the discourse on the bill is remarkable in and of itself.

ETA: voting is happening now, after a long, rambling and pretty weird speech from Senator Duane, a gay man who has been at the front of this fight for a while.

ETA2: watching the vote now. It looks like we're going to lose.

ETA3: "The bill is lost."

ETA4: and now there will be nattering about "momentum" from the bigots; cowards one and all.

Comments

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

ETA3: "The bill is lost."

So what's going to happen now?

[rm.livejournal.com]

There has to be another bill, in another session. Which the assembly will approve again, and that will have to actually come up for a vote in the state Senate. All of this is hampered by the clusterfuck that is our state legislature again (it's so confusing, I barely understand it). Another vote won't happen before fall 2010 at the earliest.

[marcmagus]

Someone pointed out that there's an election between now and then, votes are on record, and we can hope [and attempt to influence that] the batch of senators next time around will be better? I'm not nearly sufficiently up on NY politics to know how likely that is.

[rm.livejournal.com]

It's very hard to vote people out around here because of the way the districts have been zoned. But targeting the 8 democratic no votes makes the most sense, although it is unlikely to be effective.

[matthewwdaly.livejournal.com]

You can definitely send some money to whoever is going to run against Jim Alesi up here in Rochester. He's been nearly run out for the past two elections, and I'm actually surprised that he sided with the reactionaries today because he had to know that that homophobia isn't a crowd-pleaser in his district.

Still, I say that any day you can find out who your friends are is a good day. I knew that we didn't really have the votes, but I didn't know precisely who we had to replace to get the votes next time. Now we have that roadmap.

The list of people to target:

[newsbean.livejournal.com]

Addabbo (D) - NO
Aubertine (D) - NO
Diaz (D) - NO
Huntley (D) - NO
C. Kruger (D) - NO
Monserrate (D) - NO
Onorato (D) - NO
Stachowski (D) - NO

Re: The list of people to target:

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Monserrate (D) - NO

I should be surprised - he's a NYC rep - but considering the recent news I've heard of him, I'm not. Alas.

Re: The list of people to target:

[maryling.livejournal.com]

If you followed the brouhaha from early this summer, it's clear the man has no shame and no morals.

Re: The list of people to target:

[marcmagus]

Thanks! http://www.nysenate.gov/senators turns out to have astonishingly useful information, so now I have a clue where these people are:

Addabbo (D) - District 15 - Queens near the Brooklyn border
Aubertine (D) - District 48 - Oswego, Jefferson, St. Lawrence
Diaz (D) - District 32 - Bronx
Huntley (D) - District 10 - Southern Queens
C. Kruger (D) - District 27 - S. Brooklyn
Monserrate (D) - District 13 - Queens
Onorato (D) - District 12 - Queens near Manhattan
Stachowski (D) - District 58 - Buffalo

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I used to think that if there was a place I'd ever live in the States NYC would be it.

That was before I realised NYC was very different from NYS.

*sigh* I hope you guys manage to find some sense in your elected officials next time.

[drfardook.livejournal.com]

Our deeply unpopular governor was itching to sign the bill but he's going to be up for election in 2010. Chances are Patterson will get slaughtered if he tries to run as fair or unfair, the albatross of the NY state economy has been hung around his neck.

We may not get another governor who's as strongly in favor of gay marriage by the time it comes up for another vote. Due to extensive gerrymandering legislative seats don't turn over very quickly so its going to be difficult to vote the bastards out of office. Even massive public shame won't make people resign in NY state politics.

At this point letting the air out of their tires, making fun of their hair, and kicking them in the shins are the most viable options.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Did you hear the way the "no" votes all mumbled?

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

At this point letting the air out of their tires, making fun of their hair, and kicking them in the shins are the most viable options.

Hey, you gotta find hope where you can get. Making fun of elected officials is definitly one of the upsides of living in a democratic republic (that isn't totalitarian).