NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo at NYC Gay Pride after passing marriage equality in NY state
Now THIS is what a “fierce advocate” looks like.
Just in case a certain President is taking notes…
Via the New York Daily News: As the gay pride parade marched through the streets of New York City on Sunday, participants cheered the governor with signs bellowing “Thank you, Governor Cuomo.”
Two days after New York’s senate voted 33-29 to legalize gay marriage, the annual parade became the epicenter for the equality celebration, embodying this year’s theme: “Proud and Powerful.”
Half a million people were expected to take to the streets.
The Marriage Equality Act was passed in the state Senate on Friday evening, and signed into law by Cuomo at 11:55 p.m. ET, less than 2 hours after the vote. The law takes effect in 30 days.
I just got this emailed to me and thought I’d share this clip of Olivia Newton-John doing a bit of sound check of “Magic” for her appearance tonight at the NYC Gay Pride “Bondi Beach” event. I like Olivia starts to dance a bit as the camera pans to the view.
You can download the new version of her mega-hit “Magic” from iTunes – click here. ALL proceeds go to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre.
Sorry so short – it was all I got. Emailing videos is a bit tough from an iPhone you know…
The view from the stage and dance area looks like it will be amazing for the event tonight. You can see where they are in the process of putting palm trees in place on the stage for that “beach” feel.
Weather’s finally cleared up – and with marriage equality having just passed last night in NY state I imagine there are some folks ready to dance tonight!
Olivia starting soundcheck onstage
View from the event dance floor
Event info: Saturday, June 25th @ 6:00pm // Bondi Beach on Governors Island. With Olivia Newton John, DJ Phil Romano and DJ Hector Romero. Governor’s Island, NYC.
Olivia will be singing about three dance songs (including the new remix of “Magic”) during the evening for some happy folks tonight. In addition to Olivia, the party features two of the best DJs in the business. Go out and have a good time kids!
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed New York’s gay marriage bill, starting what is expected to be a crush of gay weddings starting in 30 days – couples can start marrying on July 24th.
Tonight, the number of Americans who currently have access to marriage equality in their home states or districts more than doubled.
The Democratic governor signed the measure shortly before midnight Friday, following up on a promise to put his name on the legislation as soon as he received it rather than wait the usual 10 days to sign it for it to become law.
New York lawmakers voted 33-29 to legalize same-sex marriage, handing activists a breakthrough victory in the state where the gay rights movement was born.
New York will become the sixth state where gay couples can wed and the biggest by far.
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. They are frequently cited as the first instance in American history when people in the homosexual community fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities, and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.
The last years of the 1960s were very contentious as many social movements were active, including the African American Civil Rights Movement, the Counterculture of the 1960s, and antiwar demonstrations. These influences served as catalysts for the Stonewall riots.
Very few establishments welcomed openly gay people in the 1950s and 1960s. Those that did were often bars, although bar owners and managers were rarely gay. The Stonewall Inn, at the time, was owned by the Mafia. It catered to an assortment of patrons, but it was known to be popular with the poorest and most marginalized people in the gay community.
Police raids on gay bars were routine in the 1960s, but officers quickly lost control of the situation at the Stonewall Inn, and attracted a crowd that was incited to riot.
After the Stonewall riots, gays and lesbians in New York City faced gender, class, and generational obstacles to becoming a cohesive community.
On June 28, 1970, the first Gay Pride marches took place in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York commemorating the anniversary of the riots.
Gay Pride events are held annually throughout the world toward the end of June to mark the Stonewall riots.
Today, June 24, 2011, NY state gay and lesbian committed couples cross a great milestone to being equal citizens by being allowed to enjoy the rights of marriage.
New York state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos on Same Sex Marriage Legislation: “After many hours of deliberation and discussion over the past several weeks among the members, it has been decided that same sex marriage legislation will be brought to the full Senate for an up or down vote.”
NY Conservative Party Chair Mike Long: “I’m sorry to say but the bill’s going to pass.”
Word is the 32nd vote is secured and possibly a few more.
On Thursday this week, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) walked out of budget negotiations over a dispute with Democrats about raising revenues. Today, more details emerged about exactly what Republicans happened and why the walk-out.
From ThinkProgress.com: Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), a member of the bipartisan debt discussion group led by Vice President Joe Biden, said that Republicans chose to “protect taxpayer subsidies for big oil companies, tax breaks for corporate jets, and tax breaks for millionaires”:
Democrats want to close tax loopholes that benefit oil companies, and eliminate a tax preference that gives corporate aircraft a friendlier depreciation schedule than commercial aircraft. Additionally, Van Hollen said, Democrats were proposing to phase out tax deductions and certain credits for people making more than $500,000 a year. These would be paired with a reduction in the tax burden on lower earners, by eliminating existing limitations on their deductions.
“The message Republicans sent was…unless we accept their lopsided approach…they’re prepared to tank the economy,” Van Hollen said.
Cantor’s spokesman, Brad Dayspring, described the impasse as being over “Democrats’ push to raise taxes” on “individuals, small businesses, and employers,” which is the language Republicans often use to make their position sound more pleasant sounding than “defending tax breaks for millionaires.”
Democratic aides also said Republicans’ refusal to consider defense spending cuts to alleviate painful cuts to domestic programs was “central” to the negotiation breakdown. As Democrats have repeatedly emphasized, it’s impossible to improve the country’s debt situation without raising revenues or by slashing discretionary spending alone.
From the NY Times – 4:14pm on Friday: “The Cuomo administration and legislative leaders have reached agreement on language that would protect religious institutions from obligations to recognize same-sex marriage, two people involved in the negotiations said on Friday afternoon, potentially paving the way for a vote on the marriage legislation.”
“Senate Republicans were still discussing the marriage bill among themselves in a close door meeting on Friday afternoon. And it remained unclear whether — and even if — they would permit a vote on the broader legislation. Assembly lawmakers, which approved an earlier version of the same-sex marriage bill last week, would need to approve the new language in a new vote before the full bill could become law.”
Of course, all that being said – will the GOP state senators allow a vote on the bill???
