From the outside it looks like the state of New York is getting set to become the next state to recognize same-sex marriage. The governor of the state is vocal about his support. The house of representatives has passed legislation granting marriage rights to same-gender couples. And now the vote goes to the state senate which has a Democratic majority and even has some Republicans on board that support the legislation. Things look good - from the outside.
But there is one big obstacle that may keep same sex marriage from happening. The Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith may not even put this legislation up for a vote. He has stated that without 32 votes, "I'm not bringing the bill to the floor." Thing is - he doesn't know how many votes it has and he's not interested in learning how many votes it has. According to the guys over at Queerty, Malcolm Smith's actions are based on a promise he made to anti-gay Senator Ruben Diaz. Diaz would not endorse Smith for majority leader unless he promised not to introduce gay marriage legislation. Diaz and a group of Hispanic religious leaders will be holding an anti-gay marriage rally outside of the governors office this Saturday.
I don't care about what promises he made, Malcolm Smith needs to stop playing with the rights of the LGBT community. Hopefully his constituents will call him on this. And if he chooses to continue with this form of political bullying, let's make sure he's not around for another term to do it again. If you would like to contact Senator Smith you can find his contact info here.
But there is one big obstacle that may keep same sex marriage from happening. The Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith may not even put this legislation up for a vote. He has stated that without 32 votes, "I'm not bringing the bill to the floor." Thing is - he doesn't know how many votes it has and he's not interested in learning how many votes it has. According to the guys over at Queerty, Malcolm Smith's actions are based on a promise he made to anti-gay Senator Ruben Diaz. Diaz would not endorse Smith for majority leader unless he promised not to introduce gay marriage legislation. Diaz and a group of Hispanic religious leaders will be holding an anti-gay marriage rally outside of the governors office this Saturday.
I don't care about what promises he made, Malcolm Smith needs to stop playing with the rights of the LGBT community. Hopefully his constituents will call him on this. And if he chooses to continue with this form of political bullying, let's make sure he's not around for another term to do it again. If you would like to contact Senator Smith you can find his contact info here.
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