3211
(1 vote, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Jamakaya
Jun 30, 2011
The legalization of same-sex marriage in New York reduced this usually tough old dyke to tears. Copious tears.
I knew that events were developing quickly, that a lot of money and influence and horse-trading and strong-arming were going on. But I was still stunned when the New York Legislature passed the bill and Gov. Andrew Cuomo immediately signed it just before midnight June 24.
I first learned about this on Rachel Maddow’s show (who better to bring us that great news?) and then spent most of the night reading online updates at The New York Times and watching video clips on YouTube.
And I was blubbering like a baby the whole time.
The eve of Pride weekend in New York City, just days from the 42nd anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion! How perfect, how profound was that finish?
In my last column, I mentioned the brave pioneers of the Mattachine Society, the first organized group in the United States to publicly advocate for the human and civil rights of homosexuals. It was 1951. It was a time when gay people could be imprisoned and institutionalized, subject to shock treatments and even lobotomy. That was only 60 years ago.
The progress we have made in a relatively short period of time is truly amazing.
I’m not a big flag waver, but this Fourth of July I will be thinking more than usual about the freedoms we enjoy in this country and marveling about the flexibility of a system that allows for such change and progress.
Cuomo is my new hero. He was only inaugurated Jan. 1 of this year, and he made marriage equality one of the central goals of his administration. He continually addressed the issue with clarity and determination. It was not, he said, “a question of religion or culture but a question of legal rights and government policy. This is a matter of fairness and equality. When it comes to fighting for what’s right, New Yorkers wrote the book, and marriage equality is the next chapter of our civil rights story.”
Cuomo worked doggedly with legislative leaders, cajoled doubters, framed exemptions for religious organizations, organized influential allies and boosted the bill through the Republican-controlled state Senate by four votes. (A similar bill had actually lost by 14 votes in the Democratic-controlled Senate in December 2009.)
Popular NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Police Commissioner William Bratton were pugnacious advocates. Wealthy gay and pro-gay businesspeople committed millions to support the marriage equality lobbying campaign and pledged millions more to Dem and GOP legislators who may face blowback from disapproving constituents.
There were compelling personal factors too. We know that people who have a family member or friend who is gay are more passionate about equality for LGBT folks. It turns out Cuomo’s partner, Susan, has a gay brother. Bloomberg’s niece, Rachel, is a lesbian. Bratton’s sister is a lesbian who was married in Massachusetts last year. Surely, most of the legislators have loved ones who are gay.
Harvey Milk’s words were so prescient: When we come out, we change the world.
So I’ve finally stopped crying. It was a good crying jag, flowing from a place of joy and hope. God knows, we will have plenty of challenges ahead, especially given the thugs who dominate Wisconsin’s three branches of government. But New York was a great shot in the arm and proves that money, message and political engagement can bring about real change.
Let’s all get to work here!
Comments
Crying together!!
beautifully written thanks Jamakaya
tears flow from my eyes as I read your piece
thank you
wendy
Forward In PRIDE now and forever.