An invitation-only speech by Mayor Mike Bloomberg laying out the case for same-sex marriage at Cooper Union in New York has garnered a lot of uncritical praise. Bloomberg’s stirring words, however, have not been backed up by the most effective and meaningful action that he could take: ending his personal bankrolling of the anti-gay Republican majority in the New York Senate that voted unanimously against this marriage equality in 2009.

Bloomberg has been asked by reporters if he will stop donating to Senators who oppose this bill and he has refused, saying he is not “single issue.” So while he has tried to position himself as a champion of marriage equality and to characterize it as the most important civil rights issue of our time, he has in fact been and continues to be the biggest impediment to the bill that would open New York’s marriage bureaus to gay couples.

We just saw Democrat Kathy Hochul win a special election for Congress in NY26, one of the most Republican districts in the country. Republicans are indeed a dying breed in New York, but they were able to regain their majority in the New York State Senate in 2010 long past their expiration date in this state primarily through the infusion of millions of dollars in personal donations from Mike Bloomberg. (There are some anti-gay Democrats in the Senate, too. Several have been replaced with pro-gay votes since the 2009 vote. But ALL of the Republicans voted against marriage equality.)

Full Story from Pam’s House Blend

Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

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