Tag Archives: New York state

NY Gov. David Paterson is looking rilly rilly hard for new revenue streams. To that end, he is proposing a 4% sales tax on all digital products downloaded in New York. And since a huge throbbing wet hunk of that business is porn, the XXX world is not pleased. Now Gov. Paterson is rubbing the porn industry the wrong way. …

The University of Colorado wasn’t the only place to stage a Valentine’s kiss-in for homo visibility today. Love — or, at least, lust — was in the air on Ho Plaza at 12:15 p.m. A group of roughly 20 students lined up to hold a colorful banner that read “QUEER KISSIN’ … in progress” and then proceeded have a queer …

Here’s the video message our new Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand sent to the Human Rights Campaign’s shindig the other night. (Via – Towleroad)

Police have made four arrests in last week’s vandalism of the Long Island LGBT Youth Center, but say that the crime was not bias-related. Police arrested three men and a woman, all from Bay Shore, Monday in connection with the vandalism and charged each of them with second-degree criminal mischief. None of the four was charged with a hate crime. …

This will probably come to nothing, but Ann Coulter is being investigated for voting in Connecticut while living in New York. Via NY Daily News: Following our Jan. 11 column, Connecticut’s Elections Enforcement Commission is making a “thorough investigation” of whether the conservative pundit broke the law by voting in the Nutmeg State while living in New York City, according …

Speaking at a Human Rights Campaign function on Saturday, New York Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith said there was not yet enough support for marriage equality in the Senate for a winning vote in 2009. Mr. Smith said that while he and his fellow Democrats were committed to legalizing marriage between gay and lesbian couples, there were not yet enough …

In the first case of its kind, a New York judge has ruled that the surviving partner of a gay couple married in Canada has the right to inherit his deceased partner’s estate. Recognizing the validity of a same-sex marriage between New Yorkers contracted in Canada, a Manhattan surrogate has ruled that a man is entitled to inherit the entire …

This infomercial for upstate New York’s Forever Leather wins the internet. Amazingly, this guy was NOT a cast member of The Soprano’s. (Via – Gothamist)

Yesterday the already struggling gay youth center in Long Island suffered thousands of dollars in vandalism damage .Via Newsday: Vandalism at a center that serves gay and lesbian youths in Bay Shore is being investigated as a hate crime, Suffolk police said Monday. Police were called Monday morning to the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth Center, at 34 Park …

The Empire State Pride Agenda, the ACLU, the NYCLU, and Lambda Legal have collaborated to create a document called Your Government Respects Your Marriage: Developments in New York State Agency Recognition of Same-Sex Couples’ Out-of-State Marriages. View the complete publication here. (PDF) From the NYCLU press release: “Couples in New York who have never known true security for their families …

Basing its decision on an earlier win for gay couples married out of state, a New York appellate court today reaffirmed that the state will recognize those marriages. A New York State appellate court today ruled that the valid marriages of lesbian and gay couples entered into outside of New York must be recognized in this state. This decision comes …

So many people have filed for unemployment in 2009, the state of New York has had to borrow money from the feds to pay the claims. Despite paying lower benefits to its jobless residents than other Northeastern states, the state’s unemployment fund has been borrowing about $90 million a week from the federal unemployment trust fund, state officials said. The …

The New York Post claims that Gov. Paterson has made the decision to name Caroline Kennedy to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate. Despite claims that he’s still undecided, Gov. Paterson is “certain” to pick Caroline Kennedy to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in the US Senate, several unhappy contenders for the job have told friends and associates in recent days. …

Dear Friend, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the honor of serving you in the United States Senate and to share with you some of the work and accomplishments of which we can all be proud. As I look back on eight years of service in the Senate, I am gratified by all we’ve been able …

Via press release, here’s a great and fun way to do something for marriage equality in New York. Marriage Equality DayFebruary 3, 2009 Join Marriage Equality New York for a day in Albany where we will getthe chance to meet with legislative offices from various senatedistricts to educate them on why marriage equality matters! Register Now HereRegistration with Bus Ride …

One of the most contentious, embarrassing, and ridiculous sagas in the history of the New York Democratic party (and that’s saying something) is over. Democrats have taken control of New York’s Senate for the first time in 43 years after whittling away the Republicans’ last stronghold in state government over the last decade and then fending off a challenge from …

An appellate court in Brooklyn has upheld a lower court’s ruling that Westchester County did not violate the New York constitution when it offered marriage benefits to same-sex couples. The ruling has led a senior attorney with Lambda Legal to declare: “Marriage has come to New York for same-sex couples.” A state appeals court has upheld an unflinching ruling by …

Caroline Kennedy began actively campaigning to replace Hillary Clinton last week. On Saturday her spokesperson told the NY Times that Kennedy supports same-sex marriage. In most respects, Ms. Kennedy’s answers described views similar to those of other New York Democrats, including New York’s senior senator, Charles E. Schumer, and Mrs. Clinton. But she appears to support same-sex marriage, a significant …

In a major advance for gay parents in New York, married same-sex couples will now be allowed to have both their names listed as parents on the birth certificates of children born via artificial insemination. The decision, which echoes similar provisions in states that allow gay marriages or civil unions, is one of many changes since Gov. David Paterson ordered …

Gay City News’ Paul Schindler has written a great recap of this tumultuous week in the New York Senate. If you’ve been confused by the alliances, the deals, the un-deals, and where things stand at the moment – read the story. An excerpt: [Sen. Malcolm] Smith has taken a gamble – he and his fellow Democrats may well be consigned …