Empire State Pride Agenda | The New York Observer

Even Discussion Is Beneficial, Same-Sex Marriage Advocates Say

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:46:36 -0400

ALBANY—They'll think about it, at least.

After public calls for same-sex marriage to be put on the agenda of a special session now scheduled for Nov. 10, members of the State Senate Democratic conference are hoping to at least hash it out in a closed-door conference.

"I think it's a conversation we need to have," said State Senator Diane Savino, a Staten Island Democrat, who is pushing to take up the issue. She said...

The Time Is Right, Now, for Gillibrand on Gay Rights

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:12:07 -0400

At the moment, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is receiving lots of positive attention for being at the forefront of efforts in the Senate to do away with Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, a policy that has come to seem embarrassingly retrograde for most of her party.

"Our new senator has been proactive in reaching out to our community and asking how she could be helpful in changing policy in Washington," said Alan Van Capelle, the executive...

The Gay Movement, After Marriage

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:08:44 -0400

On the night of June 26, two days before the gay pride parade would overtake Manhattan in honor of the 40th birthday of the Stonewall riots that are popularly imagined as the birth of the gay rights movement, a group numbering a couple of dozen mostly gay men and women found themselves crammed into the parlor floor of the West Village townhouse of John Connor, a former banker who lives with his companion, the...

The Case Against Gay Marriage, On Air

Thu, 28 May 2009 09:13:00 -0400

ALBANY—The sleepy opposition is finally stirring, as a national group has releases this advertisement making the case against efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in New York. The National Organization for Marriage, a New Jersey-based group that has campaigned across the country to stop or repeal the legalization of same-sex marriage, produced the ad, which focuses on what the group says will be the consequences of same-sex marriage on children. The New York Times reported that the...

The Case Against Gay Marriage, On Air

Thu, 28 May 2009 09:06:50 -0400

ALBANY—The sleepy opposition is finally stirring, as a national group has releases this advertisement making the case against efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in New York.

The National Organization for Marriage, a New Jersey-based group that has campaigned across the country to stop or repeal the legalization of same-sex marriage, produced the ad, which focuses on what the group says will be the consequences of same-sex marriage on children.

The New York...

In Final Push, Pride Agenda Releases Another Ad

Tue, 26 May 2009 11:57:00 -0400

ALBANY—Continuing to lobby aggressively for same-sex marriage, the Empire State Pride Agenda unveiled a new television ad this morning, featuring a Rochester family with a gay son and straight daughter. The ad shows a kitchen table discussion with Karen Schuster and her children Luke and Jessica, in which she says Luke should have "the same rights as other people." Josh Meltzer, a spokesman for the Pride Agenda, said it was not yet determined which markets the...

In Final Push, Pride Agenda Releases Another Ad

Tue, 26 May 2009 11:47:56 -0400

The ad shows a kitchen table discussion with Karen Schuster and her children Luke and Jessica, in which she says Luke should have "the same rights as other people."

Josh Meltzer, a spokesman for the Pride Agenda, said it was not yet...

Gay Lobby Rules

Fri, 22 May 2009 15:28:00 -0400

ALBANY—The message was clear to anyone who was at the Capitol on April 28: the pro-same-sex marriage lobby is an organized force you don't want to reckon with. More than 2,000 people packed the Empire State Convention center. Organizers communicated via radio head set. Advocates sat at tables marked by legislative district—the Senate district tables tended to be longer, and lined with more people. "This is not just about this year," said Alan Van Capelle, the...

Gay Lobby Rules

Fri, 22 May 2009 15:02:21 -0400

ALBANY—The message was clear to anyone who was at the Capitol on April 28: the pro-same-sex marriage lobby is an organized force you don't want to reckon with.

More than 2,000 people packed the Empire State Convention center. Organizers communicated via radio head set. Advocates sat at tables marked by legislative district—the Senate district tables tended to be longer, and lined with more people.

"This is not just about this year,"...

Gillibrand Headlines ESPA Fund-Raiser

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:56:00 -0400

Here’s the invite for a fund-raiser the Empire State Pride Agenda is hosting, with Kirsten Gillibrand as the keynote speaker, tomorrow in Rochester. It's particularly significant because Gillibrand, before she became a senator, was not at all an advocate of gay rights. That she would support same-sex marriage was a condition of her appointment to the Senate. It also shows Gillibrand’s continuing embrace of liberal causes, and the gay community, in the run-up...

Gillibrand Headlines ESPA Fund-Raiser

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:22:31 -0400

Here’s the invite for a fund-raiser the Empire State Pride Agenda is hosting tomorrow in Rochester, with Kirsten Gillibrand as the keynote speaker.

It's particularly significant because Gillibrand, before she became a senator, was not known as an advocate of gay rights. Supporting same-sex marriage was a condition of her appointment to the Senate.

It also demonstrates Gillibrand’s continuing embrace of liberal causes, and the gay community, in the run-up to her 2010...

'Barb and Don' Speak for Same-Sex Marriage

Wed, 13 May 2009 10:10:29 -0400

Hours after the Assembly passed (for the second time) a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, the Empire State Pride Agenda released this web video, which they said will also appear on television.

The ad features a straight couple talking about their gay daughter who wants to get married.

The move to make a straight couple the face of the same-sex marriage fight is a controversial strategy that has been debated among advocates for some time (most...

'Barb and Don' Speak for Same-Sex Marriage

Wed, 13 May 2009 10:07:00 -0400

Hours after the Assembly passed (for the second time) a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, the Empire State Pride Agenda released this web video, which they said will also appear on television. The ad features a straight couple talking about their gay daughter who wants to get married. The move to make a straight couple the face of the same-sex marriage fight is a controversial strategy that has been debated among advocates for some time (most recently...

Gays Give Paterson a Standing Ovation

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:21:00 -0400

ALBANY—An estimated 2,000 people gathered to celebrate "Equality and Justice Day" just gave David Paterson a standing ovation, and chanted "David, David" before the governor gave a speech championing same-sex marriage and casting it as a civil rights issue. Paterson was introduced by Empire State Pride Agenda executive director Alan Van Cappelle, who said, "New York's governor, our governor, the next governor, David A. Paterson." Much of the crowd in the conference center was seated by...

Gays Give Paterson a Standing Ovation

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:56:12 -0400

Paterson was introduced by Empire State Pride Agenda executive director Alan Van Cappelle, who said, "New York's governor, our governor, the next governor, David A. Paterson."

Much of the crowd in the conference...