Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy calls on the Senate to pass the marriage bill

In an eloquent op-ed in this past Sunday's Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester's biggest paper), Mayor Robert Duffy articulates why he supports marriage equality and explains why the State Senate should act to pass the bill immediately.

The op-ed is an enlightened contrast to the backwards editorial that the paper released the Sunday before, which argued that civil unions are enough for same-sex couples. Apparently, the editorial board had a heated argument about the issue before deciding to write the piece that they ran. Unfortunately, they got it completely wrong.

Mayor Duffy, on the other hand, demonstrates why he is so popular among his constituents. He is a true leader, and recognizes the need to strike down injustice where it exists in our laws. His entire op-ed is below:


Gay New Yorkers deserve right to marry

May 24, 2009

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Martin Luther King Jr.

The state Assembly recently passed a bill that provides same-sex couples the same opportunity to enter into civil marriages as opposite-sex couples. The state Senate will now take up the measure, and I am urging its passage.

While I have no say in this vote, this is not the time to hide our opinions and our positions.

I was raised in a deeply religious family. In fact, my mother was actually a Catholic nun for a time. I am well aware of the Church's teachings. I hold my faith and the Bible dear. But I also cherish our Constitution. To me, this is not about my faith in God. It is about equal rights for all.
As police chief and now as mayor, I have spent my career upholding our Constitution to ensure all citizens are not denied their rights because of who they are.

In my mind, sexual preference is not a choice or one's decision. I believe it is inherently part of our being. The right to marry is a fundamental human right that is being denied to an entire class of people solely because of who they are. It's not fair, it's not right and it's not American.
This is not about religion. The legislation provides that no member of the clergy may be compelled to perform any marriage ceremony. I frequently meet with the faith community and the pastors I speak with know my heart on this matter. I wholeheartedly respect their beliefs and opinions and I ask that they respect mine as well.

Opponents argue that we must defend marriage. This law does exactly that. The breakdown of our families and the lack of committed relationships is a destructive force on society. Let's take the passion we have about the politics of the law and focus it on encouraging more marriage and civil unions for all our citizens.

The gay and lesbian community in our city and state are some of our most brilliant, entrepreneurial and successful citizens. Who are these people? They are our family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers and taxpayers who represent every corner of our community.

Can New York state afford to lose these outstanding citizens? If I was being denied a basic civil right in our state, I would go to another place where I would be valued and welcomed.
This community is the home of two giants in the fight for social justice. Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony dedicated their lives to battle for people who were denied basic human rights based on their race and gender.

We look back on that time and wonder why the fight was so long and so hard for what seems an obvious fact — freedom, voting and equality are not limited to a few, but to all. Future generations will look back on this vote in the same manner. The right for two people to marry in a civil ceremony is fundamental and American.

Pride Agenda at Rochester Pride and Low Tea in the Pines

This past weekend was a busy one for the Pride Agenda, with our organization both marching in Rochester Pride and sponsoring Low Tea in Fire Island Pines. At Rochester Pride, a group of Pride Agenda marchers along with our Field Organizer Todd Plank got huge cheers from the crowd, showing how much our work is appreciated by the Rochester community.

The theme of the parade was “Happily Ever After” and the grand marshals were Pat Martinez and Lisa Golden, in honor of the progress that New York State's recent recognition of gay marriages legally performed in other states and countries has made toward giving same-sex couples an equal opportunity to marry their partners. Many organizations participating in the parade picked up on the wedding theme, including the Rochester chapter of Pride at Work, which created a great float featuring some of the 1,324 “wedding gifts,” or rights and responsibilities granted by the state of New York to legally married couples.

On Fire Island, OffSprung! sponsored Low Tea at the Blue Whale, one of the Pines’ nightly events. OffSprung! volunteers staffed a table in the harbor all day to spread word about how to get involved. Pride Agenda flags were flying in the harbor as people made their way to Low Tea, where they sampled Blue Britneys, a special blue version of a favorite Pines cocktail designed just for the Pride Agenda.

Thanks to everyone who attended this weekend and made both Rochester Pride and Low Tea such great events!

Photo of the week: Schlepping for Equality

Pride Agenda Field Organizer Todd Plank braves the Rochester elements to build support for LGBT rights.

Today's noontime rally in Rochester

Over 75 people showed up for the first of two rallies today outside the Monroe County Office Building to protest the County Executive’s appeal of a unanimous court ruling that requires New York State (and Monroe County of course) to recognize legal out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples. Turnout exceeded everyone's expectations and our local organizer Todd Plank tells us the crowd will be even larger for the 4-6PM rally.

See coverage of the rally from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle here and from R News, the 24-hour local news station, here. Below are several pictures from the rally. The first one below is of Lisa Golden and Pat Martinez who were married in Canada. Pat (center right) initiated the lawsuit against Monroe County Community College after it refused to extend health benefits to Lisa (center left).

Many thanks to photographer Billijo Wolf who sent us the great pictures!

Turn out for today's marriage actions in Rochester!

In response to Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks appealing the recent mid-level court decision saying that New York State must respect legal out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples, local supporters of marriage equality are holding two actions today in front of the County Office Building in downtown Rochester.

Monroe County residents are holding these actions because of a number of things Maggie Brooks said when she announced the appeal on Friday -- from calling same-sex couples with legal out-of-state marriage licenses “unmarried” to saying that extending married “benefits to same-sex couples is to ignore the will of the people of Monroe County and New York State.”

Local same-sex couples, their families, clergy, friends and others will be coming out to show there is strong support for marriage equality in Monroe County, despite what Maggie Brooks chooses to say, and to talk about why marriage for all families in New York is important.

So take down these details and show your support!

Monroe County Office Building
37 West Main Street
Rochester, NY

12 noon – 1 PM
4 PM – 6 PM

For more information about both actions call our Western New York field organizer Todd Plank at 585-278-4190.

P.S. -- We’re not sure where Maggie Brooks gets her notion about “the will of the people of Monroe County and New York State.” The State Assembly passed marriage equality legislation last year by a vote of 85-61 and this is the chamber that represents “the people” last time we checked. Three out of five Assemblymembers whose districts are entirely within Monroe County were also on the “yes” side of that vote. Polling too does not back up Brooks’ assertions about “the people.” Our last poll showed 53% of New Yorkers are for marriage equality and polls other groups have done always show support for marriage out in front of any opposition to it.

P.P.S. -- Unlike many of the most populous counties in New York State, Monroe County still refuses to offer domestic partners health benefits to its employees. Need we say more?