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NY: Governor Paterson Bans Discrimination Against Transgender State Employees

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Governor David Paterson received a standing ovation at the LGBT Community Center in lower Manhattan earlier today as he signed an executive order to ban discrimination against transgender state employees. “For far too long… the transgender community has had to wait for the same equality others enjoy based on employment,” he said. “That ends today.”

Empire State Pride Agenda executive director Alan Van Capelle, Michael Silverman of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, Melissa Sklarz of the New York Transgender Rights Organization, Glennda Testone of the Center and Pauline Park of the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy were among those who joined Paterson on the stage. State Sen. Tom Duane, state Assemblymembers Deborah Glick, Dick Gottfried, Micah Kellner and Danny O’Donnell and City Councilmember-elect Danny Dromm were also in attendance.

“Transgender people, like all New Yorkers, need stability, and it starts in the workplace,” Sklarz said.

Full Story from Edge Boston: http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=100172

Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

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Posted in discrimination ban, executive order, governor david paterson, new york, ny, state employees, transgender | No Responses »

NY: Senate May Vote on Gay Marriage Bill Today

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

The New York Senate will likely vote on a gay marriage bill Tuesday, local NBC affiliate WGRZ reported. A spokesman for state Senator Dale Volker confirmed to the television station that the bill could reach the Senate floor for a vote tomorrow.

The bill remains a priority of Governor David Paterson, who has pledged to sign it into law if it clears its final hurdle in the Senate. Whether Democrats have the votes to approve the measure, however, remains unclear. Several senators reversed course after voters in Maine “vetoed” a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers in the spring. Win or lose, gay activists say they want a vote on the bill to put senators on record.

A similar bill is expected to receive its initial vote in the District of Columbia on Tuesday and final approval before Christmas.

Full Story from On Top Magazine: http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=4934&MediaType=1&Category=26

Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in floor, gay marriage bill, governor david paterson, new york, ny, senate, Tuesday, vote | No Responses »

NY: As Senate Meets Tomorrow, Unclear if Gay Marriage Has Votes to Pass

Monday, November 9th, 2009

Gay rights advocates have launched a final push to win support of a same-sex marriage bill in New York, as state lawmakers are slated to gather tomorrow to vote on the measure.

Gov. David Paterson has called legislators to Albany for the vote — saying he believes the measure will win enough support to sign into law. But, sources said negotiations are expected to go late into Monday night as Democratic leaders discuss whether to put the bill to a full vote in the Senate without knowing whether it will have enough votes to pass.  The State Assembly passed the bill earlier this year.

Advocates on both sides of the issue lobbied senators over the weekend, but it was still unclear whether the measure could earn the 32 votes needed for approval. Democrats hold a shaky 32-to-30 majority in the Senate — and the measure does not have full support across the party line.

Full Story from NBC NY: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Gay-Marriage-Bill-in-Albany-Faces-Uncertain-Fate-69554487.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in bill, Gay Marriage, governor david paterson, new york, ny, senate, special session | No Responses »

New York Governor Interviewed on Gay Marriage

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

New York Governor David Paterson has scheduled a special session of the state Senate for this Tuesday, November 10. Paterson has placed a marriage equality bill on the session’s agenda.

Yesterday, Corey Johnson and I sat down with Paterson for an exclusive interview with Paterson in his office in Harlem to discuss that bill and ask him whether or not he believes action will actually take place on Tuesday, and what conversations he’s had with Senate leadership that indicate it might be acted upon. We also ask him if he thinks Obama needs to take a stronger position on issues important to the gay and lesbian community like the ballot measure in Maine.

Says Paterson of the marriage equality bill: “People who’ve lived together for 10, 20, 30 years are waiting, hoping that this legislation will pass while they still have the breath to elicit an ‘I do’ on the altar, and I think it’s time that it happens, and if I have to see legislation fail so I can identify who voted against it to better persuade them, then I’ll take that chance.”

Full Story from Towleroad.com: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/11/paterson.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in gay marriage. new york, governor david paterson, interview, ny, senate vote | No Responses »

Gay Marriage Vote on Agenda for Tuesday in NY Senate

Friday, November 6th, 2009

Gov. David A. Paterson said Thursday that he would include gay marriage on the agenda of an extraordinary session he is calling for Tuesday, potentially setting up the first vote on the issue in the State Senate and a dramatic floor debate.

Senate Democratic leaders could still block the issue from coming to the floor and have done so before, though it appears more likely to be put to a vote this time. Gay rights advocates, who feared holding a vote amid a Senate leadership feud this summer, cheered the governor’s action.

The measure’s chances of passing, though, are seen as far less likely. While a same-sex marriage bill has already been passed twice in the Assembly, it faces an uphill battle in the Senate. Democrats have a shaky 32-to-30 edge in the chamber, but several Democrats have said they will vote against the measure, and no Republicans are publicly supporting it.

Full Story from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/nyregion/06marriage.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in agenda, Gay Marriage, governor david paterson, new york, ny, senate vote | No Responses »

Is Tide Turning Against Gay Marriage Vote in NY This Year?

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

The next few weeks could prove to be a crucial time for the national gay-rights movement, which invested heavily in New York to try to pass same-sex marriage but was stymied in the chaos over the summer. Unfortunately for the activists, the battle has become a game of chicken or hot potato, depending on whom you talk to.

On one level, not a lot has changed from the situation in the summer. Again, Governor Paterson, grasping for political traction, has brought the issue to a head, promising to order lawmakers back to Albany next month and to force them to take up the marriage bill. Malcolm Smith is no longer running the Senate. But John Sampson, a Brooklyn lawyer who supplanted Smith as Democratic leader, is stirring similar doubts about his willingness to hammer holdouts into yes votes. (Like Smith, Sampson wasn’t a supporter of gay marriage before assuming power.) And still, not a single Republican has openly endorsed gay marriage.

The trouble for supporters is that the ground that has shifted has raised the odds against them. Sampson is already struggling to unite Democrats behind an emergency plan to rescue New York from a swelling midyear deficit. The possible expulsion or resignation of Queens senator Hiram Monserrate, who was convicted of a misdemeanor assault against his girlfriend, could remove another yes vote. And the conservative revolt against Republican Dede Scozzafava, who voted for gay marriage in the Assembly, has shaken the nerves of moderate Senate Republicans.

Full Story from New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/11/as_paterson_calls_senate_back.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Gay Marriage, governor david paterson, new york, senate, vote | No Responses »

Governor Paterson: Gay Marriage Will Pass in New York in Coming Weeks

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

New York Gov. David Paterson says he expects to sign a same-sex marriage bill into law in the coming weeks.

Paterson says he expects the state Senate to give the measure final legislative approval in the coming weeks and then he will sign it. That would make New York the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Paterson can’t force the Senate to take up the bill and admitted to reporters he can’t guarantee its approval, but he says he’s now confident it will pass, as advocates and sponsors of the bill in Albany have been quietly working to build support.

Full Story from The Chronicle: http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2009/10/31/the_chronicle/news/15.txt

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Gay Marriage, governor david paterson, new york, ny, senate | No Responses »

New York Governor Convening Special Session November 10th to Vote on Budget, Gay Marriage, More

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Governor David Paterson announced Sunday that he is convening the state Legislature on November 10 to address New York’s growing budget deficit.

Before the extraordinary legislative session, Paterson is holding a public leaders meeting in the city this Thursday.

The governor will address the leaders of the State Senate and Assembly on November 9 in Albany to outline what he feels the state needs to do to ensure long-term fiscal stability.

Full Story from NY1: http://ny1.com/7-brooklyn-news-content/news_beats/politics/107896/paterson-to-convene-special-budget-session/

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Gay Marriage, governor david paterson, legislature, new york, ny, special session | No Responses »

New York Governor Says Gay Marriage Bill Will Pass This Year

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

At the Empire State Pride Agenda’s fall dinner last night, Governor Paterson said that he thinks the gay marriage bill will pass, proclaiming that “as a result of a law we will pass in the New York Senate, already passed in the Assembly, and [gay marriage] will be signed by the governor, just in the next few weeks.”

Earlier this week, Paterson announced he would put the bill in front of the Senate during next week’s special session. He had proposed the bill back in April, and the Assembly passed it in in May, but the bill was placed on the back burner after the Senate coup. However, the Senate is notoriously split on the issue and Paterson doesn’t have much juice to twist Senators’ arms.

Full Story from Gothamist.com: http://gothamist.com/2009/10/23/paterson_believes_gay_marriage_bill.php

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Gay Marriage, governor david paterson, new york, ny, pass, senate, vote | No Responses »