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same-sex marriage

By Azi Paybarah 7/19/11 10:45am

same-sex marriage

N.O.M. is targeting Mark Grisanti and other State Senators.

N.O.M. Targets N.Y. Lawmakers

The National Organization for Marriage is sending out $150,000 worth of mailings targeting a handful of state senators who voted to legalize same-sex marriage, the group said.

Targets of the mailing are the Republicans who voted for it, and the Democrats who supported the bill this year after opposing it in 2009: Republican Senators Mark Grisanti, Roy McDonald, James Alesi and Stephen Saland, and Democratic Senators Shirley Huntley, Joseph Addabbo and Carl Kruger. Read More

By David Freedlander 7/18/11 2:52pm

same-sex marriage

Gay Marriage Price Tag: $1.86 M.

Disclosure reports published by the Center for Public Integrity reveal just how much it cost advocates to pass same-sex marriage in the New York State Senate: $1.86 million.

New Yorkers United for Marriage, the umbrella group that was formed to push for the bill, spent that much, most of it funneled through Knickerbocker SKD, the powerhouse political consulting and lobbying firm.  The bulk of that money went to TV advertising, but the group also spent $66,000 on canvassing in “select Senate districts,” according to the filing.

By David Freedlander 7/18/11 11:42am

same-sex marriage

First In New York Gay Wedding to Take Place at Niagara Falls at Stroke of Midnight on Sunday

Advocates for same-sex marriage are planning to ring in the new law’s passage with a celebratory ceremony in the shadow of Niagara Falls the minute it becomes legal for same-sex couples to wed.

The inaugural couple will be Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd, Buffalo residents who have been trying to wed for over a decade and who have five children and 12 grandchildren between them. According to a release from New Yorkers United for Marriage, the couple will marry at Luna Island while the Falls behind them will be lit with the colors of the rainbow flag. Read More

By David Freedlander 7/15/11 8:40am

same-sex marriage

Same-Sex Marriage Senators Take The Show on the Road

Diane Savino and Tom Duane, two of New York’s biggest backers for marriage equality, are headed to the Golden State in order to bask in the accolades of LGBT activists at the San Diego Pride Parade:

Writes the  San Diego Gay and Lesbian News website:

Two New York senators who played key political roles in passing their state’s marriage equality law on June 24 will be participating this weekend in San Diego LGBT Pride events… Read More

By Azi Paybarah 7/13/11 5:27pm

same-sex marriage

Same-Sex Marriage Republican Has a Lot of Campaign Money

Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $10,300 to Mark Grisanti, a freshman Republican State Senator whose re-election was thrown into even greater uncertainty after he voted to legalize same-sex marriage. Tim Gill, head of the national LGBT advocacy group, the Gill Foundation, donated $10,000 to Grisanti’s campaign.

Overall, Grisanti, who represents a heavily Democratic district in Buffalo, raised $148,325 ($91,461 from individuals and the rest from corporations and unions). During this latest filing period, he spent just over $28,495.

Overall, Grisanti has $103,954.06 in the bank, a remarkable turnaround since he started this filing period with $2,106.11 in debt. Read More

By David Freedlander 7/11/11 1:31pm

same-sex marriage

Rev. Diaz: They Love Me!

Throughout the debate over same-sex marriage, Bronx State Senator Ruben Diaz quickly alerted reporters to the mounds of  hate-mail that he was receiving for his opposition to the bill.

But now that the debate is over and Diaz’s side lost, the Pentecostal minister wants you to know that it hasn’t all been bad. Earlier today his office emailed out a compilation of all the love that Diaz has been receiving. Read More

By Azi Paybarah 7/08/11 12:07pm

same-sex marriage

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice (photo credit: New York NOW)

Nassau DA: Denying Marriage Licenses to Gay Couples Could Be Criminal

Kathleen Rice, the Nassau County District Attorney who ran as a tough, law-and-order attorney general candidate last year, is warning clerks they could face “criminal prosecution” if they refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples after July 24.

In a letter to clerks today, Rice said the religious protections within the same-sex marriage legislation are “inapplicable to town and city clerks” and refusal to serve gay couples “may constitute Official Misconduct.”

Letter after the jump.