Governor David Paterson, state Sen. Tom Duane [D-Chelsea] and New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn were among the hundreds who gathered in Union Square earlier tonight to protest the state Senate's vote yesterday against a bill that would have allowed gays and lesbians to marry.
"I'm angry at the betrayal of people who are supposed to be standing up for our civil rights," Duane proclaimed as the crowd cheered. "The Democrats failed us in the Senate."
Six of the eight Democrats who opposed the bill--state Sens. Joseph Addabbo, Jr., Ruben Diaz, Sr., Shirley Huntley, Carl Kruger, Hiram Monserrate and George Onorato--are from the five boroughs. Diaz is the only lawmaker who spoke against the marriage bill on the Senate floor yesterday. And Duane told Boy in Bushwick the 37 others who opposed the proposed legislation have yet to provide him with a reason they decided to vote against it.
"They have no good reason," he added. "There is no excuse for saying no."
Governor David Paterson speaks to the crowd.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Hundreds rally in Union Square against state Senate marriage vote
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
It's damn shame, Mike, but as much as I hate to say it, I wasn't very surprised.
During the SONDA fight, the gay and lesbian activist community taught the NY legislature that they were perfectly fine with leaving some citizens unprotected from discrimination to satisfy the demands of other, more powerful groups.
Is it really that much of a surprise to anyone that they took that lesson to heart and are applying it here?
Call it Karma, call it reaping what you sow, whatever, but the reality is that it is our own community itself which is to blame for setting a stage on which NY Dems felt comfortable denying marriage rights to LGBT New Yorkers.
One day, the big shot activists will finally figure it out...I hope.
Post a Comment