In a call-in show called “Vox Pop” on WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, Governor Spitzer talks about marriage equality and provides his views on the current political environment around the issue in New York. You can hear his discussion with “Vox Pop” host Alan Chartock beginning at 2’45” on the audio clip. For those of you downstate who are not familiar with “Vox Pop”, it is not too unlike “Inside City Hall” on NY1 in that it’s considered “must listening” for political junkies.
This is the Governor’s first extended remarks about the issue since the Assembly passed marriage equality legislation last year by an 85-61 vote. Spitzer reaffirms his support for the issue, talks about Republican support the bill received in the Assembly and how passing it in the State Senate will be an individual issue, a “Senator by Senator determination.” He concedes that having Democrats controlling the State Senate “probably would matter” in getting a vote, but emphasized that support from Senators will be more individual than partisan.
We thank the Governor for his continued strong support for marriage equality. We agree with him when he says support from legislators is individual in nature. Our community and our many allies and friends across the state made the case for marriage equality on a legislator-by-legislator basis last year leading up to the vote in the Assembly and that made a difference when the voting finally took place. It will also make a difference with State Senators when they take their vote on marriage equality for our families.
The Governor sharing his views on the issue came in response to a caller named Phil who identified himself as man in his upper 70’s who has been in a relationship for over twenty years. He said about his partner and himself: “We Pay taxes, we vote, we pay our dues to our community.” His question for the Governor: “Do you have any sense that within our lifetimes the state will recognize our relationship so that we can benefit from the privileges and responsibilities that other married couples enjoy in New York State?”
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Morning Sweep
Today is Freedom to Marry Day, and Evan Wolfson has something to say about it.
Barack Obama and John McCain were the big winners in yesterday's Presidential primary elections in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.
Kerry Eleveld explains the importance of the controversial "superdelegates," 21 of which (out of more than 800) are LGBT. Pam Spaulding adds some details, including info on who many of the NY-based LGBT superdelegates are supporting.
Community groups, including some local gay organizations, in Eastern Long Island (Hamptons, etc) organized a public forum to voice their complaints about some recent columns published in The Independent that offended several minority groups.
Florida seems to be one of the epicenters of activity surrounding LGBT civil rights these days, with the debate over the constitutional ban on gay marriage heating up, Dade County (Miami) considering legislation that would legally recognize domestic partners and an ordinance in Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale) to extend anti-discrimination protections to transgender people.
Barack Obama and John McCain were the big winners in yesterday's Presidential primary elections in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.
Kerry Eleveld explains the importance of the controversial "superdelegates," 21 of which (out of more than 800) are LGBT. Pam Spaulding adds some details, including info on who many of the NY-based LGBT superdelegates are supporting.
Community groups, including some local gay organizations, in Eastern Long Island (Hamptons, etc) organized a public forum to voice their complaints about some recent columns published in The Independent that offended several minority groups.
Florida seems to be one of the epicenters of activity surrounding LGBT civil rights these days, with the debate over the constitutional ban on gay marriage heating up, Dade County (Miami) considering legislation that would legally recognize domestic partners and an ordinance in Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale) to extend anti-discrimination protections to transgender people.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Morning Sweep
Arizona Republicans are again trying to get a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the ballot this November, even though voters rejected the first attempt in 2006.
The Washington Blade talks to Hillary Clinton about LGBT issues in anticipation of today's "Potomac Primaries."
White evangelicals are no longer solidly Republican, as issues like jobs and the economy now overtake abortion and gay marriage as priority for some.
A lesbian couple in Denver, Colorado is challenging in court the state's voter-approved (in 2006) constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions.
Karl Rove spoke to Choate students yesterday and was grilled by an astute young woman on the reasons for his campaign against same-sex marriage. She bested him with each response he came up with until he, pathetically, resorted to the old (and horribly irrelevant) polygamy cop-out.
Rod McCullom brings to light an interesting and sad bi-product of the recent violence in Kenya: HIV-positive people are having an increasingly difficult time getting access to necessary medication.
A photo taken of a gay Hungarian couple, who were the target of a hate attack, has won a World Press Photo Award.
The Washington Blade talks to Hillary Clinton about LGBT issues in anticipation of today's "Potomac Primaries."
White evangelicals are no longer solidly Republican, as issues like jobs and the economy now overtake abortion and gay marriage as priority for some.
A lesbian couple in Denver, Colorado is challenging in court the state's voter-approved (in 2006) constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions.
Karl Rove spoke to Choate students yesterday and was grilled by an astute young woman on the reasons for his campaign against same-sex marriage. She bested him with each response he came up with until he, pathetically, resorted to the old (and horribly irrelevant) polygamy cop-out.
Rod McCullom brings to light an interesting and sad bi-product of the recent violence in Kenya: HIV-positive people are having an increasingly difficult time getting access to necessary medication.
A photo taken of a gay Hungarian couple, who were the target of a hate attack, has won a World Press Photo Award.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Morning Sweep
Today kicks off the 11th-annual Freedom to Marry Week.
The New York Sun provides an update on the New York State Senate and the challenges Republicans face in retaining control.
A 25-year old transgender woman (and sex-worker) was stabbed to death by a customer in the Bronx yesterday.
Queerty writes about a gay Mormon group reaching out to the new President of the Latter Day Saints to open up a dialogue between the traditionally anti-gay Church and its gay congregants.
A Syracuse student writes a column in the university's newspaper to debunk some of the myths suggesting that bisexuality is a transitional period between being straight and gay.
The New York Times' Dealbook blog reports that Goldman Sachs will now cover gender reassignment surgery for its employees. You can see by the comments section that lots of work still has to be done to end transphobia.
While a majority of Iowa's lawmakers support a ban on same-sex marriages, it is still unclear as to whether or not the state legislature will vote on the issue.
Same-sex marriage advocates will be rallying in Annapolis, Maryland tonight to show their support for legislation legalizing gay marriage.
Israel's Attorney General announced that gay couples have the right to adopt children.
The New York Sun provides an update on the New York State Senate and the challenges Republicans face in retaining control.
A 25-year old transgender woman (and sex-worker) was stabbed to death by a customer in the Bronx yesterday.
Queerty writes about a gay Mormon group reaching out to the new President of the Latter Day Saints to open up a dialogue between the traditionally anti-gay Church and its gay congregants.
A Syracuse student writes a column in the university's newspaper to debunk some of the myths suggesting that bisexuality is a transitional period between being straight and gay.
The New York Times' Dealbook blog reports that Goldman Sachs will now cover gender reassignment surgery for its employees. You can see by the comments section that lots of work still has to be done to end transphobia.
While a majority of Iowa's lawmakers support a ban on same-sex marriages, it is still unclear as to whether or not the state legislature will vote on the issue.
Same-sex marriage advocates will be rallying in Annapolis, Maryland tonight to show their support for legislation legalizing gay marriage.
Israel's Attorney General announced that gay couples have the right to adopt children.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Why exit polls identifying LGB voters are important
After telling all of you about the existence of exit polling data on lesbian, gay and bisexual voters in Tuesday’s Democratic Primaries in New York and California, I had several people question why I said exit polls should always be asking the LGB question.
Folks, did you know we’re practically invisible as a community?
Yes I know we’re “everywhere” and that there are plenty of anecdotes about how many of us there are (mainly wrong), but I feel obligated to let you know about something.
Demographically speaking -- we don't exist. I never knew how much this hurts us until I began working at the Pride Agenda.
Just so you know, in our government data helps drive policy and policy drives the distribution of benefits and services. When government -- and this is true for both Washington and Albany -- has no data on a community or the issues a community faces that community gets left out of the many programs that use data-driven formulas to provide services. And these programs are funded by billions of dollars here in New York and hundreds of billions in Washington.
Ever wonder why the conservative right doesn't want government agencies asking questions about sexual orientation or gender identity and expression when assessing and evaluating the needs of the American people?
Not having data on us keeps us invisible to government and that's exactly what our opponents want. Having real data makes it more difficult for government to ignore us or to withhold access to programs and services it has in place to address the needs of Americans. The many health and social welfare programs that target specific population segments is just one example of what I'm talking about.
It’s exactly the same in politics and elections. When elected officials have no idea about the size of our community or how many of us vote (potentially for them), they tend to forget about us or relegate our concerns to the summer intern.
On the other hand, they do have a good idea about the religion, ethnicity, age, income levels and property tax assessments, and so on and so on of the people in their districts because the Census and a host of other government entities gather this data and make it public. Political parties and special interest groups then feed it into their computers and spit it out by legislative district. Having this information about the makeup of an election district, such as an Assembly or State Senate district, plays a big role in determining which issues elected officials focus on and which ones they don’t.
Since there are zero instances where government gathers data on gay people -- except for a roundabout way in the Census and that only gets at those of us who are coupled and living together -- we get left out.
That’s why exit polls asking voters to identify their sexual orientation are so important. Until government starts asking about us instead of pretending we don't exist, election day exit polls are the only tool out there that provide any real clues about how many of us there are as a percentage of the entire population (and to politicians about how many of us are a position to vote them in or out of office).
The exit poll done here in New York on Tuesday showed that seven percent of Democrats voting on Tuesday are LGB. That’s a big block of voters, one that can make the difference between a candidate winning or losing in a close election. We're also a block that politicians in New York can't ignore, which means we can have the uncanny effect of getting them to focus better when we talk to them about what's important to us.
Folks, did you know we’re practically invisible as a community?
Yes I know we’re “everywhere” and that there are plenty of anecdotes about how many of us there are (mainly wrong), but I feel obligated to let you know about something.
Demographically speaking -- we don't exist. I never knew how much this hurts us until I began working at the Pride Agenda.
Just so you know, in our government data helps drive policy and policy drives the distribution of benefits and services. When government -- and this is true for both Washington and Albany -- has no data on a community or the issues a community faces that community gets left out of the many programs that use data-driven formulas to provide services. And these programs are funded by billions of dollars here in New York and hundreds of billions in Washington.
Ever wonder why the conservative right doesn't want government agencies asking questions about sexual orientation or gender identity and expression when assessing and evaluating the needs of the American people?
Not having data on us keeps us invisible to government and that's exactly what our opponents want. Having real data makes it more difficult for government to ignore us or to withhold access to programs and services it has in place to address the needs of Americans. The many health and social welfare programs that target specific population segments is just one example of what I'm talking about.
It’s exactly the same in politics and elections. When elected officials have no idea about the size of our community or how many of us vote (potentially for them), they tend to forget about us or relegate our concerns to the summer intern.
On the other hand, they do have a good idea about the religion, ethnicity, age, income levels and property tax assessments, and so on and so on of the people in their districts because the Census and a host of other government entities gather this data and make it public. Political parties and special interest groups then feed it into their computers and spit it out by legislative district. Having this information about the makeup of an election district, such as an Assembly or State Senate district, plays a big role in determining which issues elected officials focus on and which ones they don’t.
Since there are zero instances where government gathers data on gay people -- except for a roundabout way in the Census and that only gets at those of us who are coupled and living together -- we get left out.
That’s why exit polls asking voters to identify their sexual orientation are so important. Until government starts asking about us instead of pretending we don't exist, election day exit polls are the only tool out there that provide any real clues about how many of us there are as a percentage of the entire population (and to politicians about how many of us are a position to vote them in or out of office).
The exit poll done here in New York on Tuesday showed that seven percent of Democrats voting on Tuesday are LGB. That’s a big block of voters, one that can make the difference between a candidate winning or losing in a close election. We're also a block that politicians in New York can't ignore, which means we can have the uncanny effect of getting them to focus better when we talk to them about what's important to us.
Morning Sweep
Mitt Romney is out of the Presidential primary race and Log Cabin Republicans couldn't be happier.
In Marty Markowitz's final "State of the Borough" address, he pledged to secure funding for Brooklyn's first LGBT community center.
A coalition of gay student groups at Columbia University is hosting a national conference on being LGBT and Jewish.
Gay City News reports on Primary Election Day efforts by transgender activists and their allies to build support for passing GENDA in the state Assembly this year.
A San Diego State University study shows that same-sex couples on the average are happier than their heterosexual counterparts.
Maryland's gay marriage opponents are stepping up their efforts in trying to force the state's House of Delegates to vote on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
Pennsylvania, which already has a state DOMA, may be headed for a showdown over a constitutional amendment banning legal recognition of gay unions.
In Marty Markowitz's final "State of the Borough" address, he pledged to secure funding for Brooklyn's first LGBT community center.
A coalition of gay student groups at Columbia University is hosting a national conference on being LGBT and Jewish.
Gay City News reports on Primary Election Day efforts by transgender activists and their allies to build support for passing GENDA in the state Assembly this year.
A San Diego State University study shows that same-sex couples on the average are happier than their heterosexual counterparts.
Maryland's gay marriage opponents are stepping up their efforts in trying to force the state's House of Delegates to vote on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
Pennsylvania, which already has a state DOMA, may be headed for a showdown over a constitutional amendment banning legal recognition of gay unions.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Morning Sweep
California's top court will hear oral arguments on March 4th for a case that will decide the constitutionality of the state's current policy of denying same-sex couples the right to marry.
Bloomberg News reports that, because of their traditional place in Persian society, transgender people in Iran can receive state funding for gender reassignment surgery. Homosexuality, on the other hand, is still outlawed and gay people are routinely (and severely) persecuted.
In case you were confused about the term "super delegates," VisibleVote's Jennifer Vanasco provides an explanation (via Good As You).
Human Rights Watch is putting pressure on the Egyptian government to stop its practice of arresting and torturing HIV-positive gay men.
Good As You has some video of a transformed Castro Street in San Francisco, which is abuzz with actors and film crews shooting the Harvey Milk movie.
HRC's Joe Solmonese went on the Stephen Colbert Show last night to kick off Colbert's "Better Know A Lobbyist" series.
It's no secret that the New York Post uses anti-gay language from time to time, but lesbian blogger/mother Mombian takes issue with NYC's other tabloid, The Daily News, in its coverage of a woman (who happens to be a lesbian) being charged for the death of her son.
Bloomberg News reports that, because of their traditional place in Persian society, transgender people in Iran can receive state funding for gender reassignment surgery. Homosexuality, on the other hand, is still outlawed and gay people are routinely (and severely) persecuted.
In case you were confused about the term "super delegates," VisibleVote's Jennifer Vanasco provides an explanation (via Good As You).
Human Rights Watch is putting pressure on the Egyptian government to stop its practice of arresting and torturing HIV-positive gay men.
Good As You has some video of a transformed Castro Street in San Francisco, which is abuzz with actors and film crews shooting the Harvey Milk movie.
HRC's Joe Solmonese went on the Stephen Colbert Show last night to kick off Colbert's "Better Know A Lobbyist" series.
It's no secret that the New York Post uses anti-gay language from time to time, but lesbian blogger/mother Mombian takes issue with NYC's other tabloid, The Daily News, in its coverage of a woman (who happens to be a lesbian) being charged for the death of her son.
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