For Benjamin Anderson and Mattia Lumaca, it's wedding bells and sad farewells

Instead of going on a honeymoon, they're going into exile. Benjamin Anderson, a disabled U.S. Coast Guard veteran, wed his long-term partner, Italian immigrant Mattia Lumaca, in a bittersweet Manhattan ceremony Wednesday. Even though Anderson's an American citizen, the pair are barred from getting immigration benefits as a gay couple by the federal Defense of Marriage Act....

New York Daily News • Dec 8, 2011

New Yorkers Still Good With Gay Marriage: Poll

44% of registered voters in New York report they are more likely to vote for a state senator who voted to pass the same-sex marriage law. Three in ten are less likely to do so while 19% say it makes no difference and seven percent are unsure....

New York Daily News • Aug 11, 2011

Anti-Gay Marriage Group Files Legal Challenge to New York's Law

Twenty four hours after New York's landmark same sex marriage law went into effect, the anti-gay-marriage group New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms today has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn it. The group, led by the Rev. Jason J. McGuire, claims that the state Senate, in adopting the legislation, violated the state's Open Meetings Law by closing off the Senate galleries and lobby; and by ...

New York Daily News • Jul 25, 2011

Mayor Bloomberg rewards GOP senators who backed gay marriage with $10K thank you

Bloomberg had made no secret he'd be willing to back Republicans who stuck their necks out and sided with the majority of Democrats to support same-sex nuptials. He sent $10,300 apiece - the maximum contribution allowed - to Sens. Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo), Roy McDonald (R-Saratoga), Stephen Saland (R-Poughkeepsie) and James Alesi (R-Rochester)....

New York Daily News • Jul 14, 2011

Bloomberg plans 'NYC I Do' campaign to attract gay couples, cash in on legal gay marriage law

Gays can soon marry in New York - and Mayor Bloomberg wants them to say "I do" at the Empire State Building, Coney Island - or any other romantic spot in the five boroughs. "We'd love to have you come here," Hizzoner said Monday of the two-bride and two-groom couples who can start to marry here late next month....

New York Daily News • Jun 29, 2011

OKing gay marriage could pump $184 million into New York economy through wedding services

The legalization of same-sex marriage in New York could bring legions of gay couples to the state - and pump millions into its economy. Owners of flower shops, wedding venues and hotels are licking their chops over the $184 million expected to flood New York if gay marriage is recognized....

New York Daily News • Jun 20, 2011

Could Obama 'Evolve' All the Way to Gay Marriage Equality Next Week in New York?

In the next few days, Obama will almost certainly be asked about his famously "evolving" stance on marriage rights for gay men and women. New York would be the sixth state in the nation to allow same-sex nuptials and by far the largest. New York City is also a gay rights hub, which is no doubt why he chose it for this fund-raiser. It would be an excellent chance for him to announce that he has "ev...

New York Daily News • Jun 15, 2011

The conservative case for gay marriage: GOP is not the party of intolerance

New York Republicans should seize this opportunity to convince a rising generation of voters across America that the Republican Party is still the party of individual freedom. These young voters are deeply distrustful of what they perceive as the hypocrisy of a Republican Party that proclaims its support for individual freedom in economic policies but not in social polices. ...

New York Daily News • Jun 15, 2011

National Organization for Marriage crusading against gay nuptials in NY

A shadowy group run by religious fundamentalists is bankrolling a pitched crusade against same-sex marriage in New York. Secretive and flush with cash, the National Organization for Marriage is igniting a culture war as it battles Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg in their campaign to legalize gay wedlock. "If marriage is redefined, then New York schools will soon be teaching that it's just as good...

New York Daily News • Jun 13, 2011

State Sen. Greg Ball: No Legal Gay Marriage Without Religious Exemptions

Sen. Greg Ball (R-Putnam) said he delivered that message directly this past week to Gov. Cuomo and his aides. Most contentious is Ball's argument that individuals and businesses - not just religious organizations - who oppose gay marriage should also be exempted from the state's discrimination laws....

New York Daily News • Jun 12, 2011

Gay marriage bill dead without church exemptions, says state Sen. Greg Ball

A state senator who holds a key swing vote on the bill to legalize gay marriage says he does not believe the measure will pass without specific exemptions for religious institutions. Sen. Greg Ball (R-Putnam) said he delivered that message directly this past week to Gov.Cuomo and his aides. Most contentious is Ball's argument that individuals and businesses - not just religious organizations - w...

New York Daily News • Jun 8, 2011

Poll: NY Same-Sex Marriage Support At New High

Voters in the survey backed legalizing marriage between same-sex couples 58-36%, "higher than ever while statistically unchanged from 56-38% April 14." Once again, we see a split along party lines: Democrats support legalization 72-23%, independents back it 58-34% and GOP voters are opposed, 64-34%. Men support same-sex marriage 58-37%; women, 59-34%....

New York Daily News • Jun 3, 2011

Gay Rights Advocacy Group Is Taking It To Bronx State Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr. - Literally

Kappy wrote today: "Bronx Community Pride, the borough's gay, lesbian, transgender organization, has just signed a lease for ground-floor office space in the Rev. Ruben Diaz Apartments at 950 Westchester Ave. in Longwood. The subsidized housing, with ground-floor commercial space, was named for the state senator, who's among those leading the fight in Albany against gay marriage."...

New York Daily News • Jun 3, 2011

The civil union bait-and-switch: Compromise is far from true marriage equality

Unlike the universally accepted concept of marriage, employers, businesses and individuals simply do not know how to treat civil unions. Several states have experimented with these so-called compromise solutions and have already reached the conclusion that they just don't work. For example, after New Jersey granted civil unions to gay and lesbian couples, many employers refused to offer them part...

New York Daily News • May 16, 2011

The moral and constitutional case for a right to gay marriage

Thomas Jefferson set the stage in the Declaration of Independence: "[T]o secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men." The primary purpose of government is to safeguard individual rights and prevent some persons from harming others. Heterosexuals should not be treated preferentially when the state carries out that role. And no one is harmed by the union of two consenting gay people....

New York Daily News • Jan 8, 2010

New poll says New Yorkers want equal marriage brought to vote, even if passage not a sure thing

Nearly eight of 10 New Yorkers say the state Senate should put a bill legalizing equal marriage up for a vote regardless of whether there's enough support to pass it, a new poll released Tuesday shows. The Siena College poll shows that 78% of those surveyed disagree with Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, who said he would only bring the bill to the floor only if he has the 32 votes needed to ...

New York Daily News • May 26, 2009

Why the New York GOP should embrace gay marriage

Gays and lesbians are a vital part of our communities. They are doctors, teachers, firefighters, emergency personnel and neighbors. In this way, marriage equality is also about supporting good citizens and strengthening our communities. When a committed gay couple seeks to declare their love for one another and get married, the whole community benefits from the added stability and strength of that...

New York Daily News • May 22, 2009

NY: Quinn 'Can't Bullshit' On Gay Marriage

There has been speculation as to how many votes Smith and marriage advocates lack, with the number floating anywhere from the rather optimistic (four) to the seemingly unreachable (six or more). When I asked Quinn for an update, she referred me to Smith's office....

New York Daily News • May 19, 2009

NY: GOP Marriage Bombshell?

There has been speculation that several GOP senators might be willing to vote "yes" on marriage, including Vincent Leibell and James Alesi. But so far, neither of those two - nor any other minority members for that matter - have been willing to tip their hands. Advocates are hoping that the 89-52 Assembly vote earlier this week will help pressure some lawmakers in the upper house - particularly t...

New York Daily News • May 16, 2009

Gay Marriage Gets Another Assembly Republican

The Log Cabin Republicans of New York, the state's GOP gay rights group, announced today a member of the the Assembly minority - Fred Thiele - has decided to cosponsor the same-sex marriage bill. This brings to the number of GOP Assembly members willing to vote "yes" on the bill up to five. In 2007, four Republicans - Mike Spano (who has since become a Democrat), Joel Miller, Teresa Sayward and D...

New York Daily News • May 4, 2009