8:56 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · GLBT| New York| Politics · 1 Comment
10 Nov 2009I’m a spoiled NY’er who thinks that the rest of the United States and yes, the world should have the same values I do which is why I’m surprised that New York State still doesn’t have marriage equality for all of it’s residents. Today could be the day that changes. In what’s being called an extraordinary session, because it’s not a regularly scheduled one, not because it sparkles or anything like that, the NY State legislature is meeting to tackle a growing deficit and possibly approval of same-sex marriage.
The not too popular Governor David Paterson has called for a vote on gay marriage but also on budge cuts that impact school aid and hospitals. What could very well happen is that the legislature could get wrapped up in the important budget issue and ignore the marriage proposal all together. We’ll just have to wait and see.
If you are a NY’er (and hell even if you’re not) you should call your NY State Senator to let them know that you don’t want cuts to our school system and that you want marriage equity for all NY’ers! NY’ers for Marriage Equality has this handy little tool for you to figure out who your state senator is. I already know who mine is. Sigh.
3:32 pm By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Family| GLBT| Immigration| Maine| Politics · 5 Comments
4 Nov 2009
In more bad election news, yesterday voters in Maine said yes to Question 1, overturning the state’s marriage equality law.
Prerna Lal at Dream Activistreminds us how this ties into the immigration issue:
Why should an average non-gay DREAM Act student care about my queer rants? Because like your families, like the Mejia-Perez family, our non-straight families are also scrutinized, separated and pulled apart since the law refuses to recognize them and grant them full and equal rights. Quite like President Obama delivered change for your families and has yet to deliver, he is also largely ignoring LGBT families.
When you do eventually gain the right to vote on other types of families at the polls, just remember what your own family, especially those who lived in mixed-status families, have had to endure. After that, question your ‘faith-based leaders.’ Ask them why they exclude same-sex families when they talk about ‘family unity?’ The Catholic Church, on one hand, stands up strong for the rights of undocumented workers. On the same page, it denounces civil rights for gay couples. Ask your pastors and priests, your clergy and pundits whether ‘God’ would deport a gay immigrant over a straight immigrant. Ask them whether some rights are more important than others. Ask them to support all families.
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