Wednesday, December 2, 2009
I’ve lived in New York state for three, long years and if I’ve learned anything during this time about the Empire State it is this: outside of Manhattan, much of New York is a socially conservative wasteland, akin to Appalachia and dominated by the Catholic Church.
So, it came as no surprise to me to learn the New York State Senate today defeated a bill on that would had legalized same-sex marriage. The bill was supported by the hugely unpopular Gov. David Paterson. Today’s vote effectively kills for the year any chances of passing marriage and dashes the optimism of gay rights advocates.
The bill was defeated by a decisive margin of 38 to 24. The Democrats, who have a bare, one-seat majority, did not have enough votes to pass the bill without some Republican support, but not a single Republican senator voted for the measure.
The influence of the Catholic church is dominate in New York state. I grew up there and it’s one of the reasons I left. In New York, the Catholics hold as much sway as the Mormons hold in Utah and the Catholics don’t want gay Americans to be equal.
Can’t say I am surprised.
The only thing I don’t understand is, why would Gov. David Paterson try to push this issue when he’s up for reelection and he’s about as popular as swine flu?
Are people really sure he’s an advocate for the gay community after all? This is a big setback for marriage advocate in New York and it gives Maggie Gallagher fresh ammo to block marriage in New Jersey.
Not good.
This is a shame, Christopher.
But your characterization of New York state is apt.
I remember driving from Queens to Montreal many years ago and the further north we got, the more run down the state looked. Much of it is trailers and junk and broken down cars in the yard.
New York Republican lawmakers weren’t about to let marriage pass on their watch. New York is a largely ungovernable state and becoming more so each day.
Yes, much of upstate NY is conservative….but there are definitely a fair number of of progressives/liberals like me who support gay rights and other liberal causes.
The NY Democratic Hall of Shame who voted against gay marriage:
Joseph Addabbo (D-Queens) – NO
Darrel Aubertine (D- Cape Vincent) – NO
Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) – NO
Shirley Huntley (D-Queens) – NO
Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) – NO
Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) – NO
George Onorato (D-Queens) – NO
William Stachowski (D-Buffalo) – NO
Monserrate, you may recall, was arrested for beating his girlfriend and putting her in the hospital.
vicodaniel1987@yahoo.com
David Paterson tried and failed to build a coalition with the LGBT community to help him with his bid for reelection in 2010.
His political instincts were lacking. This isn’t the best time to try and bring marriage to New York when the state is nearing bankruptcy and many lawmakers are up for reelection themselves.
Sorry about this, Christopher. I’m not surprised the NY senate voted this way. I deal with people in the Appalachia part of the state all the time and I can only shake my head.
I know it’s a cliche, but maybe next year?
I had a bit to say about this myself.
What complete, utter bullshit. All of it under a cross.
I know Paterson is favored to be defeated, but I’ll tell you this: shortly after he was elevated because of Spitzer’s hooker problem, he immediately signed an executive order recognizing gay marriages from other jurisdictions. Immediately. Why this act? Well, he’s considered a real liberal. And then there is the matter of his “uncles,” one may have been a blood uncle, but they were two men who were in a committed relationship who were friends of his parents. He recalled them coming over and helping him with his spelling. His parents knew they were gay, but that didn’t matter and Paterson couldn’t understand why these two lovely men should be treated any different. I think he was trying to make real historical change. And, if so, kudos David Paterson.
I can’t add anything. Anymore, these elected clowns are so worried about reelection that they would sell their grandmothers down the river if it guaranteed 2 more years in office. All I know is, equality shouldn’t be up to the people in power. We lose when it is.
Shameful. Totally shameful.
New York now unrecognizable from Texas? How is this even possible? Of all states in the northeast, I just assumed New York would join its neighbor states of Massachusetts and Connecticut and pass gay marriage this year.
What the hell happened? As a resident of Oregon, I am far away from the inner workings of New York.
No offense meant but why did the gay community in the last election support Michael Bloomberg? He said he supported gay marriage but was too busy to use his muscle to push the issue in Albany yesterday. I know fancy lunches and teas are a regular part of his busy day but as mayor of the state’s largest city, he was MIA at a time when a sizable chunk of his constituency needed his support most.
Estacada,
What happened is the Roman Catholic Church.
The New York State Catholic Conference basically functions of late like a political action committee and they’ve made it clear to lawmakers in New York that they will not tolerate gay marriage.
Sources I have in New York City and in Albany have confirmed that several state senators who originally planned to vote “YES,” after receiving phone calls and visits from Bishops who made it clear that the church would use their grassroots influence to defeat any lawmaker who supported the bill.
The only way to silence the Catholic church once and for all is to target their tax exempt status and hit them where it hurts — in their pocketbook.
New York is a lot like Arizona is a lot like Texas. Only difference here in AZ is that it’s the Mormons holding sway. I keep thinking that the youth of today, Meghan McCain for example, are more of what the future holds. More tolerance for minorities and gays. I would like to see this ugly discrimination put to rest once and for all, in my lifetime would be nice. I have taught my daughters to have tolerance for others, even though they have different beliefs, or a different sexual preference. I suppose that’s a place to start.
I watched the guy from the New York State Catholic Conference last night on News One. He was very glib and self-righteous. You’re correct about them. He was very clear in the interview. The Catholic church in New York will not tolerate gay marriage. They’ve drawn a line in the sand on this and won’t budge.
For the record, I hate the state by state approach.