Today is the last day of the session for New York's legislature (although it could last a couple more days.) There's a lot going on.
Based on the reporting of the NY Post. looks like this could be the day for a marriage vote in the State Senate:
Gov. Cuomo and Senate Republican boss Dean Skelos could say, "I do" as soon as today on a historic gay-marriage bill that includes strengthened exemptions for religious groups.Love that the NY Post is reporting that "public pressure has reached a tipping point" after the paper editorialized against marriage last week.
Negotiators for the Republican-run Senate privately admitted that a deal is near after aides spent the Father's Day weekend ironing out language to appease "religious liberty" concerns that have been raised by several fence-sitting GOP senators.
And public pressure has reached a tipping point, as about 200 supporters of the bill held two raucous rallies near Union Square yesterday.
At one march -- organized by the group Queer Rising -- supporters broke into tears, held banners reading, "I deserve full equality!" and carried rainbow-colored paraphernalia.
The haters are in a frenzy. Via Jeremy Hooper, we learn that nothing will satisfy the haters. He reports that Rev. Jason McGuire, who is leading the anti-marriage effort -- and continuously makes outrageous statements like comparing marriage to child abuse, "says that there is no degree of religious exemption that will ever appease him, and that his side will challenge marriage equality in court regardless of how the eventual law is worded." McGuire and his cronies are holding a day-long protest at the State Capitol. And, his friends at NOM are hosting a 1 PM press conference at the NY State Capitol this afternoon. Today's NY Times has an article about the New Paltz marriages, which took place back in the 2004. I'll let Billiam van Roestenberg, who got married by the Mayor of New Paltz, provide the rebuttal to McGuire:
Mr. van Roestenberg said he was not as diplomatic as he had been in 2004. “Now I’m a little more frank,” he said. “Those religious people are out of their minds. If they don’t believe in evolution and facts and science, they’re not going to believe in gay marriage.”Exactly.
Andy Towle posted a great video of yesterday's Queer Rising's march from Union Square to the Stonewall Inn, which was called "Last day of Inequality":
If you live in New York, call your Senators today. Andy posted a list of the undecideds with contact info. here. Have your friends and family in NY call, too. This can happen today -- and it will be a huge step forward for New York and the nation. So, make the calls.
