Tag Archives: NY Senate

A Message To NY Sen. George Onorato

From Astoria’s Western Queens For Marriage Equality. Contact Onorato here.

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NY Sen. Tom Duane: I Have The Votes For Marriage (But I Won’t Say Who They Are)

NY state Sen. Thomas Duane continues to vow that there are enough “yes” votes for the state Senate to pass marriage equality, but he won’t say who the equality-minded Republicans are. According to a WNYC-FM reporter, Duane says those Senators “have to come of out the closet on their own. Gov. Paterson has called the Senate back to Albany today. …

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NY Senate Promises Marriage Vote And Debate (Sometime This Year)

NY Gov. David Paterson appeared on the local news last night and with great gravitas announced that a major breakthrough had been made with the NY Senate regarding marriage equality. An agreement had been reached that the Senate would debate and vote on marriage equality at an unspecified date to occur before the end of the end. I was thinking, …

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NY Senate Adjourns: No Marriage Vote

The New York Senate adjourned today’s special session without making a vote on marriage equality, putting the issue off indefinitely. It was unclear when the Senate would take the issue up. Wednesday is Veteran’s Day and a holiday, meaning that it would be at least the end of the week before they could vote on the bill. “It sounds like …

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NY State Senate Live Stream

Bookmark or save this post for a live stream of today’s special session of the New York Senate, during which a long overdue vote on marriage equality is expected to take place. The session begins at noon, but we don’t yet know when the vote may occur. Yesterday NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg sent a personal letter to each of the …

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Christine Quinn To NY Senate: It’s Time To Stand Up For All Families

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GOP NY Sen. George Mariarz To Lesbian Constituent: I’ll Vote No On Marriage

JMG reader Bess in Rochester sends us this clip of her wife Anne Tischer pleading for GOP NY state Sen. George Maziarz to support tomorrow’s possible vote on marriage equality. After Tischer lays out her case calmly and logically, Mariarz is unmoved, does not address any of her points, and flatly announces his plan to vote against the bill. Applause …

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Tuesday: NY State Senate Marriage Vote?

NY Gov. David Paterson is calling the state Senate back to Albany on Tuesday for a special session during which he will demand a vote on marriage equality. The Empire State Pride Agenda asks all New Yorkers to immediately contact their senators and demand their support. We now need to make sure that the State Senate takes action on the …

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Paterson Calls Special Session For Nov. 10th – Senate Marriage Vote Possible

Although he originally promised that it would occur this week, NY Gov. David Paterson has called the state legislature back for a special “unfinished business” session to be held on November 10th, during which same-sex marriage may finally be voted upon by the state Senate. Paterson wants what is technically called an extraordinary session on Nov. 10 that would address …

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NY Gov. Paterson To Ask State Senate To Vote On Marriage Next Week

According to his aides, New York Gov. David Paterson plans to ask state Senators to finally vote on same-sex marriage during a special session he’s called for next week. Democrats continue to hold a slim 32-30 majority in the Senate after Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D) somehow evaded a felony conviction last week for slashing his girlfriend in the face, which …

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HomoQuotable – NY Sen. Thomas Duane

“Once again Mike Bloomberg is talking out of both sides of his mouth. The fact of the matter is Mike will stand up in press conferences and talk the talk but at the end of the day he never walks the walk. Mike Bloomberg has consistently supported the Republican Party and its anti-gay marriage agenda. As far as I know, …

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Bloomberg: “Zero Chance” For New York Marriage In 2009

NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg not only says he doesn’t see the state Senate bringing marriage equality to vote this fall, he doesn’t think any of the 2010 gubernatorial candidates will support it. “I don’t know how to get it to come up,” he said, explaining his view that having the issue move to the Senate floor may prove more difficult …

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NY Sen. Ruben Diaz Blames Bloomberg For New York Not Having Marriage Equality

NY state Sen. Ruben Diaz has posted an opinion to local 24 hour news channel NY1 claiming that the only reason New York City doesn’t have marriage equality is because of a 2005 appeal Mayor Bloomberg filed. And not because Diaz has relentlessly campaigned against same-sex marriage, including bringing 10,000 anti-gay Hispanic evangelicals to protest outside of Gov. Paterson’s Manhattan …

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NY Sen. Ruben Diaz Invites Sarah Palin To “Death Panel” Hearing

Nutcase NY Sen. Ruben Diaz, the minister widely credited with thwarting marriage equality here, has invited Sarah Palin to appear as a witness before a New York Senate Aging Committee hearing on health care reform. The witnesses invited include a host of officials from the medical, political, private insurance, and non-governmental world — each with a clear area of expertise …

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Ruben Diaz Jr. On His Father

Andres Duque at Blabbeando has translated an interview with Ruben Diaz, Jr., the Bronx president and son of New York Homophobe #1, state Sen. Ruben Diaz, the man credited with putting a stop to marriage equality. Junior says he loves his father, but believes in the separation of church and state. Diaz Sr.: “I am the church AND the state. …

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NY Gov. Paterson Pushes For September Vote On Marriage Equality

Gov. David Paterson will not relent on his demand that the NY Senate make a vote on marriage equality and now says he will push for that vote to be made during a special session in early September. A spokesman for the governor said on Friday that the State Senate is currently not in the right mindset to take up …

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NY Sen. Thomas Duane: Forget About Marriage Equality For Now

The office of openly gay New York state Sen. Thomas Duane sends this message via email: “The month long stalemate in the Senate has ended. I am pleased that the Democratic Conference remains, as they were elected to be, in the majority. It is now time for the Senate to get back to work. The June 8th coup was a …

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NY Sen. Pedro Espada: Triple Agent

Claiming to have a “handshake deal” to be named NY Senate majority leader, Sen. Pedro Espada told the NY Post today that he is flipping back to the Dem side of the aisle, once again giving the Democrats a 32-30 edge in the deadlocked chamber. How many “majority leaders” does that make for the NY Senate in the last two …

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NY’s New Lt. Gov: Former Head Of MTA

In the hope of breaking the deadlock in the NY state Senate, yesterday Gov. Paterson appointed former MTA chairman Richard Ravitch as Lt. Governor, the job Paterson held before the Eliot Spitzer scandal. Paterson said he appointed Ravitch because the leadership void needed to be filled. He said state law did not prevent him from making the appointment. “Today I …

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No Paychecks For NY Senators

New York state Controller Thomas DiNapoli has come through on his promise to withhold the paychecks of our do-nothing state Senate. Senators, can you spare a dime? Thirty-one days into their stalemate, do-nothing warring state senators are having their salaries withheld Wednesday – for the first time since the infamous June 8 Republican-led coup. State Controller Thomas DiNapoli last week …

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