New York Republicans Continue To Support Bigotry And Not Equality


 -by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
It appears that the Republican Party in New York’s Senate does not care what their constituents think, or what their donors think, or about what is right and just in this nation. As far as they are concerned, they are willing to support bigotry and hatred no matter what the cost because they erroneously believe that supporting the right of two people of the same sex to get married will lose them their seat in the next election.
A majority of New Yorkers support marriage equality, but indications are that none of the Republicans are willing to vote for equality according to an article at OnTop. Given that it was necessary for the Republicans to vote for the bill due to them holding a majority in the Senate as well as due to the efforts of people like Senator Ruben Diaz Sr, who would rather see his own granddaughter and brothers treated like second class citizens rather than as equals, among the Democrats who will not vote for marriage. Instead, they would rather ruin marriage by making it an exclusive club.
The Republicans may not be willing to budge on this issue because of their desire to try and make Governor Andrew Cuomo, who wants this passed, look bad. Given that he is pushing hard on this issue, that may backfire badly. Cuomo, State Senator Thomas Duane, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg have been lobbying for this bill, which will not be introduced into the state Senate until the votes are there. Duane, who is openly gay, stated “It doesn’t matter what the heartfelt support is. It cannot pass without Republican votes … yet none of them support my right to get married.”
Of course, this means a loss of revenue for New York since LGBT New Yorkers can simply cross over into Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts or Canada to get married legally. Meanwhile, the Republicans are trying to stop that from happening by introducing a piece of legislation which is, on its face, unconstitutional. The courts have already decided that New York has an obligation to honor marriages from other states whether or not they are between two people of the same sex or two people of the opposite sex, as per a directive signed by then Governor David Patterson.
The legislation was introduced by Senator Marty Golden. Austin Shafran, Senate Democratic spokesman, stated “It’s unfortunate the Senate Republicans continue to show hostility to protecting equal rights for all New Yorkers. Whether it’s on rent regulations or marriage equality, Marty Golden has proven he is out of touch with his district by once again putting the political priorities of his Republicans colleagues over the city he’s supposed to represent.”
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