Just four days before the 42nd anniversary of the New York City Stonewall Riots, characterised as the start of the gay rights movement in the USA and around the world, New York became the sixth US state to date to endorse marriage equality.
Last Friday night, the Republican-controlled Senate voted 33-29 in favour of the Marriage Equality Bill. Despite threats by Conservative Party of New York leaders to oppose the election of any Republican who voted for marriage equality, four Republicans joined all Democrats but one in supporting the bill. Republicans allowed senators to vote according to their conscience, and they did. Republican Senator Mark Grissanti, who had sought office promising to oppose same-sex marriage, voted in favour of the bill.
“I cannot deny a person, a human being, a taxpayer, a worker, the people of my district and across this state … the same rights that I have with my wife,” Grissanti said.
Governor Andrew Cuomo championed this reform and helped coordinate the efforts of local gay-rights groups to capitalise on the 20 percent shift in popular support for same-sex marriage since 2004, inundating legislators with phone calls, emails and signed postcards from constituents in support of marriage equality.
This is a real victory not only for New York but also for the global campaign for marriage equality.
In Australia, despite the Greens’ Marriage Equality Bill being defeated by a vote of 45-5, only a little over a year later, WA, Queensland, Tasmania, NT and SA ALP branches have passed motions supporting equal marriage rights. The federal ALP is due to discuss changing its discriminatory policy stance at the National Conference in December.
We have to capitalise on every victory and continue to push for marriage equality, which is not a gay issue, but an issue of basic human rights.
info: The GLRL’s ‘Uncloseting Discrimination’ consultation on ageing is on Monday, July 4 at Surry Hills Neighbourhood Community Centre. To RSVP, email Senthorun Raj at [email protected]
By KELLIE MCDONALD, NSW GLRL
