Thursday, July 19, 2007

Lt. Gov. Paterson and Sen. Stewart-Cousins at yesterday's Fall Dinner Kick-Off

Pride Agenda board member Alfredo Paredes with Lt. Gov. David Paterson and State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins

Lt. Governor David Paterson was the guest of honor at our Fall Dinner Kick-Off reception last night, which was held at the home of Pride Agenda board member Sam Rosenblatt in Tribeca . The event officially begins the ramp-up to our biggest fundraiser of the year, the Fall Dinner, which last year brought in more than $1 million dollars. Most of the money raised at the event goes towards our legislative advocacy work and support for candidates who are committed to winning equality and justice for LGBT New Yorkers.

Paterson had just assumed role of Senate Minority Leader when the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) passed in 2002. Last night he commented that the passage of that bill was one of his proudest moments. He restated his commitment to making sure that marriage for same-sex couples is law in New York State in the very near future. He also shared a personal story about his uncles—a gay couple who had a tremendous positive impact on him as a child.

Sen. Stewart-Cousins with an aide and Pride Agenda board member Reggie Shuford

State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins (Westchester) was a surprise guest at last night’s event. She also spoke about her strong support for all of the issues that are important to the LGBT community. Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle made it clear that our community would be behind Senator Stewart-Cousins as she prepares for reelection in 2008.

This year’s Fall Dinner is Thursday, October 11.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well, well, Adrea Stewart-Cousins has finally seenthe light (or the votes). During her campaign she was statedly vs. GENDA and waffling on the issue of marriage. Make sure she's clear on what she stands for this time before campaigning for her.