Saturday, June 25, 2011

Marriage in New York: Why This One Mattered

-Four Senate Republicans broke ranks to join all (but one) Democrats in supporting marriage equality. Even in the face of a threat from the (so-called) National Organization for Marriage, these four Republican Senators voted to make the Empire State a progressive and inclusive state.

-The effort to sway the New York Senate was not just from the political left but also from large donors on the political right (and no, I'm not just talking about the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative gay organization).

-Under New York law, there is no way a ballot measure can be proposed. In other words, no Proposition 8-type situation.

-The New York legislation does not have a residence requirement. In other words, same-sex couples from all over the nation can come to New York to be married.

-New York is the most populous state to have enacted marriage equality. In fact, when the law goes into effect in 30 days, the number of people living in marriage equality states will double.

-The New York legislature attempted passing this three previous times. The fourth time being victorious goes to show that persistence and being steadfast in the face of opposition can yield positive results.
-The pro-equality forces won rights for their friends, family and community members. What did the other side lose? Absolutely nothing.

Also, I just found some video Such Is Life posted on their YouTube account. I loved every second of it.

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