Election Day was step 1 -- Now we take the struggle to them!

Voting is something you do maybe a couple days a year. Politics is what happens every other day.

Thanks to you we made some important wins on Election Day, and sent the message loud and clear to all elected officials that supporting our community is good politics. We're operating under a new political reality and our work is far from over.

We can't stop now if we are going to achieve LGBT equality and justice in New York State. We're planning face-to-face meetings with legislators from across the state, both at the Capitol and in your district. Will you commit to meeting with your legislator face to face?

We know from experience that these in-person meetings are our most effective strategy for appealing to the head, heart and nerve of our elected representatives. We've seen it in assemblymembers and senators from both political parties who changed their position after meeting with constituents: Nothing beats sharing your own personal story and explaining how New York's unfair laws affect you personally, or the life of someone you care about. We can't let one senator or assemblymember in Albany think that supporters of LGBT equality and justice don't live in their district, or that they needn't serve all their constituents.

Won't you join us at an in-person meeting with your legislator to share your story? Election Day was just step one. The struggle continues, and now we take it to them...

Primary Election 2008 Sweep

Each of the five candidates that the Pride Agenda endorsed in the 2008 New York Primary Election won their races. Here’s some stories on their elections:

The New York Times has a rundown of several of the most talked-about races, including those of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senator Kevin Parker, and Assemblymember Sam Hoyt.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver won his primary by a large margin.

Buffalo Assemblymember Sam Hoyt survived a well-financed challenge to his incumbency.

Washington Heights Assemblymember Adriano Espaillat also won his primary. The New York Times’ City Room blog captured scenes from his campaign headquarters yesterday.

Suffolk County Assemblymember Philip Ramos beat his challenger by more than 2-to-1.

Endorsements for the Sept. 9 Primary Election

The Pride Agenda announced today endorsements for the September 9 Primary Election and released a Primary Election Online Voter Guide.

We have endorsed five incumbants who have, time and time again, stood with and actively supported the LGBT community on several important issues, including the three bills at the top of our public policy agenda: marriage equality, GENDA and the Dignity for All Students Act.

Three of the endorsed candidates are from New York City, one is from Buffalo and one from Suffolk County on Long Island. Many elected officials who are friends of the LGBT community are not profiled in this voter guide because they have no primary opposition. They will be profiled in the General Election Voter Guide, which will be issued in October.


New York City:

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-WFP)

Assembly Speaker Silver is the incumbent for this seat, having served a total of sixteen terms in the New York State Assembly, with seven terms as Assembly Speaker. He is a strong supporter of the LGBT community and votes correctly on all of our issues. As Speaker, he has played a pivotal role in making sure LGBT legislation such as the marriage equality bill, Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, and Dignity for All Students Act has come to the Assembly floor for a vote. Under his leadership, the Assembly has also provided millions of dollars to fund the important work of community-based LGBT health and human services providers.

Assemblymember Adriano Espaillat (D)

Assemblymember Espaillat is the incumbent for this seat, having served six terms in the New York State Assembly. He is a strong supporter of the LGBT community and has voted correctly on all of our issues, specifically for marriage equality (June 2007), the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (June 2008) and the Dignity for All Students Act (2002-2008). He is also a co-sponsor of GENDA and Dignity for All Students Act.

State Senator Kevin Parker (D-WFP)

Senator Parker is the incumbent for this seat, having served four terms in the New York State Senate. He is a strong supporter of the LGBT community and votes correctly on all of our issues. He is also a co-sponsor of the marriage equality bill, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, and Dignity for All Students. His challengers are New York City Councilmembers Kendall Stewart, who is against marriage equality, and Simcha Felder, who is against marriage equality and has voted a number of times against pro-LGBT legislation in New York City, including a bill protecting transgender people from discrimination.


Buffalo:

Assemblymember Sam Hoyt (D-I-WFP)

Assemblymember Hoyt is the incumbent for this seat, having served eight terms in the New York State Assembly. He is a strong supporter of the LGBT community and votes correctly on all of our issues. He is also a co-sponsor of the marriage equality bill, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, and Dignity for All Students, and he has voted to secure millions of dollars in state funding for groups like AIDS Community Services, Gay and Lesbian Youth Services, Pride Center of Western New York and other programs that directly benefit LGBT people.


Long Island:

Assemblymember Philip Ramos (D-I-WFP)

Assemblymember Ramos is the incumbent for this seat, having served three terms in the New York State Assembly. He is a strong supporter of the LGBT community and had voted correctly on all of our issues, specifically for marriage equality (June 2007), the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (June 2008) and the Dignity for All Students Act (2002-2008) He is also a co-sponsor of the marriage equality bill and GENDA.

E&J Day Gets GENDA Moving

The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), which would outlaw discrimination against transgender people in New York, has just passed the Assembly’s Government Operations Committee. Currently it is legal in New York to be fired from your job, kicked out of your house or be denied service in a restaurant just for being transgender. GENDA would put an end to this kind of discrimination.

The Committee vote comes the day after 1300-plus LGBT and straight New Yorkers were in Albany lobbying for key LGBT bills, including GENDA. The bill currently has 74 co-sponsors and, according to the Pride Agenda scorecard, 94 Assemblymembers would vote for the bill if brought to the floor. That’s way more than the 76 votes required to pass. Additionally, in a poll that the Pride Agenda commissioned in Feb. of this year, 78 percent of New York voters support passing this bill.

The vote was 9-2, with one absence (Marcus Molinaro), and went right down party line (Dems voting for, Republicans voting against):

Voting for GENDA:

RoAnn Destito (chair)
Michael Benedetto
Patricia Eddington
Sandy Galef
Rory Lancman
George Latimer
Margaret Markey
Crystal Peoples
Bob Rielly

Voting against GENDA:

Jack Quinn
Joe Saladino


Next up for GENDA: the Codes Committee

A look at what's up in the NY State legislature

The Dignity for All Students Act easily passed (again) in the Assembly earlier this week (::crickets::crickets::). Unfortunately, no one really noticed. Maybe it's because this is the sixth year in a row that it has passed in the Assembly...and it's going to take a lot of work to move it in the State Senate.

The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) is scheduled to be voted on in the Assembly's Government Operations Committee next Tuesday, April 24. GENDA is expected to pass in the committee, which would bring the bill to Speaker Silver, who can put it to a floor vote (a first for GENDA). The Pride Agenda's legislative scorecard shows more than a majority (84 to be exact) of Assemblymembers support the bill.

No news at the moment on the introduction of the marriage bill, but we think it's coming soon. As always, marriage is what's getting much of the buzz lately, so next week we'll be posting a timeline of how marriage has moved from 35 supporters in the Assembly last fall to 60 current supporters.

We'll leave the rest of this post to your comments--so until Monday, we leave you with a weekend open thread.