Well, there it is; Apparently NY’s Sen. Charles Schumer has changed his mind and is now in full suppport of gay marriage rights here in New York State. The Senator made announcement recently at a benefit dinner for the Empire State Pride Agenda that was held at NYC’s Gramercy Tavern.
According the Associated Press; “Schumer’s change, some political observers suggested, stemmed from pressure to bring his position on gay marriage in line with the other officials, while coming at a time when support for same-sex unions is strong in New York. Also, it’s likely New York’s gay rights interest groups, which played a role in Democrats retaking control of the state Senate last November, were pressing Schumer to change his position. ”
Massachusetts and Connecticut have legalized gay marriage while New Jersey and New Hampshire allow same-sex civil unions. In Vermont, where civil unions also are legal, the state Senate passed a same-sex marriage bill on Monday. Here in NY State, a gay marriage bill passed the Assembly in 2007, although that’s where it ended.
In addition to supporting gay marriage, Schumer said he supported a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which he voted for in 1996.
Now both of our State Senators – Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand – have come out in support of gay marriage.
So what does this mean to us? We need to contact our State representatives on this issue – and urge them to support Marriage Equality. That said, we also need to take a moment to thank both Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for their support. This is important, as all of our representatives need to realize that there is a sizable community here in New York that is waiting to receive equal rights under the law.
Need to know more about how to reach your elected representatives? All the information is right here.
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