NY now largest state to make gay marriage legal and it WILL Stay Legal

Same-sex couple Daniel Hernandez, 53, right, and Nevin Cohen, 48, kiss after being married at the City Clerk's Office in New York, Sunday, July 24, 2011. A state law signed June 24 by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo went into effect at 12:01 on Sunday, allowing hundreds of couples statewide to tie the knot, including 823 in New York City alone. AP Photo by Shannon Stapleton.

By Chris Hawley

 

NEW YORK (AP)- Buoyant gay couples cheered by supporters began marrying Sunday across New York on the landmark day it became the sixth and largest U.S. state to recognize same-sex weddings.

Couples began exchanging vows at midnight from Niagara Falls to Long Island, though the center of the action was in New York City, where officials expected to host hundreds of same-sex weddings throughout the day. About 100 couples waited in line on a sweltering morning in Manhattan for the chance to exchange vows at the city clerk's office.

Some people waiting to wed clutched bouquets and wore tuxedos or wedding dresses before they were ushered into the clerk's office for a license and a ceremony in one of the building's simple chapels. Among the first couples to say "I do" were Daniel Hernandez, 53, and Nevin Cohen, 48, Manhattan residents who met in 1998.

The two men, wearing matching navy sport jackets, kissed as a group of four friends clapped and news photographers' cameras snapped.

"It feels great," said Hernandez after the ceremony. "To have achieved this in my lifetime and see so many couples who have been loved and living together, to see them finally become part of a greater community of loving couples is phenomenal."

Hernandez teared up as he talked about his family, which is from California and couldn't attend because of the short notice. The couple is planning a bigger party in the fall.

New York's adoption of legal same-sex marriage is viewed as a pivotal moment in the national gay rights movement and was expected to galvanize supporters and opponents alike. The state joined Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, along with Washington, D.C., when its state legislature voted last month to legalize gay marriage.

Protest rallies were planned in Manhattan, Buffalo, Rochester and Albany on Sunday afternoon. Gay marriage opponents unhappy that Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers legalized same-sex marriage last month are calling for a statewide referendum on the issue.

Clerks in New York City and about a dozen other cities statewide opened their doors Sunday to cater to same-sex couples. In New York City and other locations, judges waived a mandatory 24-hour waiting period that allowed couples to exchange vows moments after receiving their licenses.

In Farmingville on Long Island, Steven Hammer, 46, and Joe Lobosco, 63, were among the steady flow of people showing up for a license. The residents of Ridge, New York, were married in Canada eight years ago, but opted for another ceremony in their home state.

"After 21 years together, we're not going to get cold feet," Hammer said. "It justifies everything we've been living for 21 years."

Initially, New York City officials had projected that about 2,500 couples might show up at the city clerk's offices hoping to get married on Sunday, but by the time a 48-hour lottery had drawn to a close on Thursday, 823 couples had signed up - 59 more than the city had planned to accommodate. The city will perform ceremonies for all 823.

First up in Manhattan were Phyllis Siegel, 76, and Connie Kopelov, 84. In Niagara Falls, gay-rights activists Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd were legally married the very first moment they could be during a midnight ceremony at the traditional wedding locale.

With the rainbow-lit waterfalls as a backdrop, Lambert, 54, and Rudd, 53, were among the first gay couples to tie the knot with the blessing of the state. Lambert and Rudd, who have 12 grandchildren between them, have been together for more than a decade and had long been fighting for the right to marry.

The couple, both from Buffalo, smiled broadly as they exchanged traditional marriage vows, promising to love and cherish each other in sickness and in health. A crowd of several hundred people cheered as they were pronounced married and shared their first kiss.

"What an incredible night this was," said Lambert, who wore an electric blue satin gown with a sequined train for the midnight ceremony and carried a bouquet of blue hydrangeas. "This was an amazing night. Everything was absolutely perfect."

In Albany, Mayor Jerry Jennings performed marriages at 12:01 a.m. Sunday in the Common Council's chambers.

http://www.pridesource.com

California Supreme Court To Hear Arguments On Same Sex Marriage

(credit: AP)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California’s highest court says it will hear arguments right after Labor Day on an issue that is likely to prove decisive for the fate of the state’s voter-enacted ban on same-sex marriages.

The California Supreme Court scheduled a Sept. 6 hearing to consider whether ballot initiative sponsors have authority to fight court rulings on their measures if the governor and attorney general refuse to appeal.

The question is pivotal to the future of the 2008 ban, known as Proposition 8, because former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gov. Jerry Brown, in his previous role as attorney general, refused last year to challenge a federal court ruling that struck down the law as a violation of gay Californians’ civil rights.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is reviewing an appeal brought by the group that qualified Proposition 8, but said it could not reach the broader constitutional issues until it determined if the group had legal standing. The appeals court has asked the Supreme Court for its guidance in interpreting state law.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com 

Three Gay Couples Married At Broadway Performance Of Hair (see Vid)

 

 

We actually started to tear up over this. What an momentous and magical moment for these three couples to share!!!

On Sunday, gay marriage in New York was officially a go and over 800 people finally got to cement their lives with the person they truly loved, no matter who they were.

Three couple in the audience of the musical Hair on Broadway were treated to something truly special as they were invited on-stage to have their weddings in front of the entire congregation. The ceremony was officiated by one of the cast members and at the end, every single person in the theater sang Let The Sun Shine! If that doesn't make you feel the love, nothing ever will!

Check out the video (above) to see the beautiful moment unfold!

We couldn't be more pleased! Congrats to you all! Live long and happily together!

Posted at perezhilton.com

A Weird World: Both Sides See Same-Sex Marriage as Winning Issue

The economy is king in 2012 politics, but in a close election, the issue of same-sex marriage could make a difference.

With New York recently legalizing gay marriage, the Pentagon processing the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," and Congress battling over the Defense of Marriage Act, gay rights have gotten a lot of media attention, and activists on both sides of the argument believe they have a politically potent issue.

Voters who strongly support or strongly oppose same-sex marriage will likely be more apt to get out and vote next year and inspire others to do the same, particularly since several key states are already embroiled in the debate, with battleground state Minnesota adding a gay marriage ban vote to the state's 2012 ballot, and Colorado, another swing state, close to adding a vote to repeal its marriage ban to the ballot, if advocates gather enough signatures. "Clearly the overriding issue in the next election is going to be the economy and jobs," says Brian Darling, a senior fellow for government studies at the conservative Heritage Foundation. But when votes get close, he says, "issues like traditional marriage can make a critical difference in an election and may be a deciding factor."

After the 2004 election, when voters in 11 states adopted same-sex marriage bans, the New York Times reported that socially conservative voters who came out primarily to vote against gay marriage may have tipped the scales in favor of former President George W. Bush. Since presidential elections have been consistently close in the past six cycles—popular vote in every election since 1988 has been within nine percentage points—voters on either side of the issue could tip the scales. [Check out a roundup of political cartoons on gay marriage.]

Public opinion and the political landscape have changed on gay marriage since 2004, and both continue to shift. President Obama has not supported gay marriage publicly, and has said his views on the issue are "evolving," though gay marriage advocates and opponents both assume he supports it privately, particularly based on his support for repealing Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as being between a man and a woman and permits states to not recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. And a recent Gallup poll suggests, for the first time, a majority of Americans, or 53 percent, support legalizing it, compared to 27 percent when the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996. Younger Americans are leading this change: 70 percent of 18-to-34-year-olds think gay marriage should be legal, compared to 54 percent of the same age group in 2010, according to the poll.

Gay marriage advocates believe this means the issue has reached a tipping point and thatRepublican candidates who are outspoken against gay marriage will face trouble in the general election. "In the past, Democrats supported gay rights but weren't that excited about talking about it," says Richard Socarides, former Clinton adviser and president of Equality Matters, which works for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. "And Republicans used gayrights issues as a way to energize right-wing base voters." 2012, he says, will be different, "because the Democrats will be using their support for gay rights as an issue to excite their own base, as an issue to generate enthusiasm around Democratic swing voters."

http://www.usnews.com/news

NY Readies for Hundreds of Gay Weddings

  Thousands of opponents of gay marriage took to the streets in loud and sometimes tense protests Sunday, the first day that legal same-sex weddings were performed.

The National Organization for Marriage held rallies in New York City, Albany, Rochester and Buffalo, saying Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers redefined marriage without giving voters a chance to weigh-in, as they have in other states. Protesters chanted "Let the People Vote!" at rallies across the state.

A rally in New York City that started with several hundred people crowding the street across from Cuomo's Manhattan office quickly swelled to thousands of people out in loud opposition to the new law.

They waved signs saying "Excommunicate Cuomo" and "God cannot be mocked."

Cuomo campaigned in support of gay marriage, which he called a basic human right, then lobbied the Legislature hard ahead of its historic June 24 vote to legalize it.

The first gay marriages in New York were performed just after midnight and continued through the day at municipal offices that opened for special weekend hours, making New York the sixth and largest state to recognize same-sex weddings and becoming a pivotal moment in the national drive for recognition.

Outside the capitol in Albany, about 400 people gathered in a park in the shadow of the state Capitol for a protest they said was political, but had a strong religious thread and featured signs that included a banner with the familiar "Marriage(equals)Man and Woman" message topped with a fluttering "Don't Tread on Me" flag.

A mix of congregants and clergy from local black churches, a tea party contingent from Norwich and other small groups including families, they lined up and sang "Our God is an Awesome God" as they started a march that circled the massive seat of state government in the largely empty downtown.

Tre' Staton, pastor at the Empire Christian Center in suburban Colonie and an organizer of the protest, said he lobbied lawmakers in the run-up to the New York Senate vote and was frustrated they passed a law he doesn't believe many people support, particularly in the black community.

"We're not against anybody, but we don't want this imposed on us," he said, stressing the National Organization for Marriage's theme for the rally. "We're looking for a referendum, an opportunity to have our fair say."

New York City protesters and others across upstate chanted "Let the people vote!" referring to referendums that have succeeded in stalling or repealing gay marriage in other states. New York does not have an easy way for voters to bring a measure directly to the ballot box, meaning such a maneuver to repeal gay marriage here will be difficult.

"I'm here for God's sake," said Steve Rosner, 65, of the Lower East Side. "To sanctify same-sex marriage is an abomination. It's beyond belief."

Around 3:30, the protesters started marching uptown toward the United Nations. By the time they reached the UN, the crowd numbered in the many thousands, filling up 47th Street. They were joined by a brass band as a stage was set up for speakers.

State Sen. Ruben Diaz, a minister who was the sole Democrat to vote against gay marriage, told the crowd that he and other opponents would try to get Sunday's marriages annulled, saying judges broke the law by waiving the 24-hour waiting period without a good reason.

"We're going to show them next week that everything they did today was illegal," he said, speaking in Spanish. "Today we start the battle! Today we start the war!"

Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, said his group of churches would fight against Cuomo's re-election.

Jewish protester Heshy Friedman carried a pig mask "because the law's not Kosher." He said he worried that Muslim groups might push to legalize polygamy next.

In Buffalo, a few hundred people gathered on the steps of City Hall. Church leaders did most of the speaking while protesters chanted "Let the people vote." Some held Bibles and others prayed on rosaries with their heads bowed.

"If it had been put to the people it wouldn't have passed," said JoAnn Tomasello, who was also in the crowd. "It's not what the people want."

Police led one counterprotester away in handcuffs after he apparently refused to stop videotaping police, although it wasn't clear that's why he was taken into custody.

Another counterprotester, Dan McKowan of Lancaster, got into a shouting match with demonstrators as he held a sign mocking the National Organization for Marriage, which organized the rally.

"Why are you denying me the same rights you enjoy?" McKowan asked.

"We love you," several protesters replied.

"If you love me, why would you fight against my civil rights?" McKowan said.

___

Associated Press writers Chris Hawley in New York City and Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo contributed to this report.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

We Congratualate NY in Getting what All Americans get: Right To Marry

adamfoxie*blog International is more than proud to congratulate all of those couples getting what all other americans get; The right to marry!


Congratulations because as today it is yours, mine and ours, the choice, the right to marry or not to marry. But is a right we deserve wether we ever use it or not. That is for life, cicumstances and our own feelings to legally bind ourselves to another human being. It is not for everyone like a lot of people in the straight world think. 


This is a right deserved and reserved  for those straight and gay that are willing and believe that they can do...a lifetime commitment with a partner. 


Son of a family with too many kids and parents that did not get along, I have always known the pitfalls of the wrong commitment. 


But having said that, this is the day to celebrate a big leap in the ladder of equal rights that this community has achieved. We know who the heroes are and we need to name them and recognize them.
The same goes for the foes, we need to know who they are, because the fight "ain't over by a mile my son"


My Love to all of you in our community and our friends, both straight and gay because wether they believed in the institution or not, wether they were going to get married or not,  they did believe in equality and those in the gay community that wanted to get marry. Many in the gay community supported this fight even though to them marriage is anathema. Something that is  has been taken over by the church and have use it in particular against women. Those feelings were put aside for the good of the community and for equal right's sake.


Next fight is Doma: Repeal of  Defense of Marriage act that says one man one woman.
Then they fight goes on state by state for the right New Yorkers both straight and gay said: This is a human, civil right. Keep the church out of people's bed and our government. Believe in the constitution that when it says "Separation of Church and State" Should be a separation between these two so different in institutions.

Adam Gonzalez,

Admin 

        

Why Marriage & Not Civil Union Besides NY Marriage is Good Business

By Bob Witeck, Special to CNN

 Many New Yorkers and thousands of visitors this weekend may make last month's Gay Pride celebrations seem tepid. Beginning Sunday, New York's same-sex couples will become eligible for marriage licenses. Tens of thousands of those couples are expected to marry over the next few years, and their vows will resonate across America.

New York is the sixth state (plus Washington) to offer marriage equality for same-sex couples. To me, after two decades of consulting with business leaders, this moment truly feels personal. It not only arrives packed with emotion, it is a real game-changer for the American work force.

New York's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and city leaders must be cheering the economic shot in the arm as hotels, restaurants, caterers, florists and legions of vendors welcome the wedding and honeymoon brigades. Some estimate nearly $400 million in revenues for the state over the next three years.

These rewards are also the result of changing tides among American corporations and employers over recent decades. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's same-sex marriage legislation was endorsed not only by major corporations like Xerox and Google but by scores of smaller business owners across the state.

President Obama moves closer to supporting same-sex marriage

Why should business leaders care? What's in it for them?

First, many employers already "get it." Beginning in 1982 with New York's Village Voice, thousands of employers have added spousal-equivalent work benefits including health coverage for their workers with same-sex partners. Today, nearly 60% of Fortune 500 companies do so.

Treating same-sex partners and their families equally with other married couples is today as natural for corporate leaders as ending discrimination on race or ethnicity.

If employers give equal benefits to same-sex couples, why worry about marital status? Ask employers in New Jersey, where same-sex civil unions are the law instead. Civil unions, domestic partnerships and other makeshift legal arrangements offer some measure of legal protection. But real-world experience shows that they do not measure up in crucial ways.

"Marriage lite" not only creates a social apartheid among families, it opens significant gaps, confusion and conflicts that businesses confront in areas such as survivor benefits, pensions and bankruptcies, along with disparate tax treatment at the state and federal level.

Keeping it simple and consistent are important to businesses. The power of New York's business allies suggests that states with civil unions, such as New Jersey, Illinois and Rhode Island, will find the marriage-equality trend appealing and inevitable.

Furthermore, administering payrolls and maintaining accurate, timely benefits and tax withholding procedures can strain any employer. When you add the complexity that accompanies different marital and tax status for many couples, from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and workplace to workplace, it is another unacceptable and costly burden on business.

Sooner rather than later, chambers of commerce will recognize that their best interests are served by the simplicity, uniformity and cost savings that come with marriage equality across the nation.

As more states follow New York, and as independent federal litigation progresses, the likelihood will grow that either federal courts or Congress ultimately will dismantle the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. That law prevents federal recognition of states' same-sex marriage laws and codifies the right of other states to not recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. Simply put, a Kansas employer need not recognize a couple's New York marriage license.

Even in a sluggish economy like ours, successful business performance has an unquenchable appetite for strong human performance and top talent. It is not surprising that some of America's leading companies are actively recruiting and rewarding their openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers and assigning them to more leading and executive roles.

The competition for superior talent goes hand in hand with appealing communities and welcoming cultures. Very few LGBT executives and managers will eagerly await employment transfer, with spouses and children too, to states and cities that insist on denying equal legal protections and stability.

Increasingly, same-sex couples will align their ambitions with their best interests in choosing to live and work in states that offer them the full respect and equal treatment under the law they need and wish for their families.

In fact, in a Harris Poll released this week, 78% of all LGBT adults said that, other factors being equal, they would prefer jobs in states that recognize marriage equality. Nearly half went farther by saying they would even consider declining job promotions if it required a transfer for themselves or their family to a hostile state or jurisdiction.

It's clear that New York and its 19 million residents is the pivot now. With marriage equality ingrained in America's capital of commerce, the trend toward business engagement will also accelerate -- and give us the best example yet of the economic benefits and progress awaiting us.

Editor's note: Bob Witeck advises companies on business trends, demographics and issues of significance to LGBT stakeholders. He is co-founder and CEO ofWiteck-Combs Communications, as well as author of "Business Inside Out: Capturing Millions of Brand Loyal Gay Consumers."