NY Votes Marriage Equality

BREAKING : N.Y. State Senate Votes For Landmark Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Watch the live debate on the New York Senate floor :

Watch live streaming video from nysenate at livestream.com

Late Friday afternoon, the Republican Senate leader finally ended the frustrating delay of the vote.

“After many hours of deliberation and discussion over the past several weeks among the members, it has been decided that same-sex marriage legislation will be brought to the full Senate for an up or down vote,” the majority leader, Long Island Republican Dean G. Skelos said in a statement. “As I have said many times, this is a very difficult issue and it will be a vote of conscience for every member of the Senate.”

Sen. Shirley Huntley Now Says She Supports Marriage Equality

On Monday, State Senator Shirley L. Huntley announced her support for marriage equality in New York State.

Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Queens) made her announcement in support for marriage equality on the same day that three other state senators, who had each voted against legalizing same-sex marriage two years ago voted, also reversed course, The New York Times reported. The senators said that their constituents’ thinking had evolved on the this important stepping stone toward full LGBT civil rights had evolved.

The Times described the move as "significantly" improving the odds that New York state legislature will pass a law that legalises marriage equality, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Citizens in New York state stand on the cusp of charting a new course for LGBT civil rights nationally, and the state itself is on the verge of becoming the largest state in the nation to allow gays and lesbians to wed.

Meanwhile, Sen. Huntley made her announcement less than two months after a daring civil disobedience protest against her and her legislative office by two LGBT civil rights activists, Iana Di Bona and Alan Bounville, who are members of Connecting Rainbows.

Shirley Huntley Corruption Scandal

New York State Sen. Shirley Huntley, who is ''inbetween on equality,'' faces multiple corruption investigations.

Sen. Shriley Huntley (D-Queens) was among the state senators, who voted to deny marriage equality in 2009. Now, she is facing two corruption investigations for steering $400,000 in taxpayer money to shady ''non-profit'' groups that are connected to her and to her family.

First, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating Sen. Huntley for directing thousands of dollars in discretionary ''member item'' budget monies to questionable non-profit groups.

Now, Sen. Huntley has received a federal subpoena in connection with a new investigation of her use of the New York State Legislature's scandalous ''member item'' system of budgetary earmarks that are constantly used by legislators to reward political allies -- and to enrich themselves.

After a previous vote for marriage equality failed in the New York Senate, activists said that they would target Democratic legislators, like Sen. Huntley, who voted against marriage equality.

A Look at Christine Quinn's Record on LGBT Issues

Protest Against Christine Quinn - A Look at Quinn's LGBT Record

In 2005, Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered lawyers for New York City to appeal the trial court ruling issued by New York Supreme Court Judge Doris Ling-Cohen, who decided that marrying the person of one's own choosing was both a privacy right and a liberty right. If he really believed in marriage equality, why did Mayor Bloomberg appeal Judge Ling-Cohen's ruling ?

If City Council Speaker Christine Quinn really believed in LGBT civil rights, why did she change term limits in 2008 to reward Mayor Bloomberg with a third term in office ?

Watch has how protesters talk to one of Speaker Quinn's campaign donors -- and convince him to leave Speaker Quinn's fundraiser.

Even though some groups discriminate against LGBT New Yorkers, Speaker Quinn defends using city taxpayer money to support those hate groups.

More and more, as New Yorkers learn about Speaker Quinn's record, they, too, will walk away from her mayoral campaign.

Shirley Huntley Gay Marriage Protest

Senator Shirley Huntley Marched in Selma and Didn't Learn a Thing : Epic YouTube Video of Daring Protest in Jamaica, Queens, in Support of Marriage Equality

At noon on Wednesday, LGBTQ activists demonstrated in front and visited the office of Queens Senator Shirley Huntely in Jamaica Queens calling upon her to be a champion for full civil rights, including marriage equality for LGBTQ Americans.

Protesters unfurled a 20' banner that stated, "Sen. Shirley Huntley Marched in Selma and Didn't Learn a Thing," while blaring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, giving her a much needed wake-up call.

In 2009, Senator Huntely voted "No" on the marriage equality bill, which would grant same-sex couples the same 1,324 legal protections that opposite-sex couples already have. When asked the reason for her vote, she explained that she was speaking on behalf of her constituency in district 10.

This protest was organised by members of Connecting Rainbows.

Who Will Legalise Marriage Equality In New York ? Not Christine Quinn....

Now that we have elected a straight man to office, maybe we will see marriage equality become legal in New York, because we knew we could not count on Christine Quinn to do anything about marriage equality.

It is a poor reflection on New York City Council Speaker Speaker Quinn, a high profile gay leader in New York City, that Gov. Andrew Cuomo is the politician, who will take credit for making marriage equality a reality for New Yorkers. Although a municipal-based approach to make marriage equality a reality already exists, based on the Gavin Newsom model, seeing as how Speaker Quinn has not been the source of any marriage equality effort in New York City, hopefully, Gov. Cuomo will be the one we can all pin our hopes on, because we knew we could not count on Speaker Quinn for anything.

Gays Boycott Donald Trump

Make a pledge today to support Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn on Kickstarter.

Gay Activists Call For Boycott of Donald Trump's Businesses.

Gay activist Allen Roskoff is calling for a boycott of Donald Trump's businesses. The boycott follows Mr. Trump's announcement that he supports neither marriage equality nor civil equality for LGBT Americans.

Mr. Roskoff told The New York Daily News : "Not only should gays be furious, we should be boycotting the products of the advertisers on his TV show" - "Celebrity Apprentice," which premiered Sunday night on NBC-TV "and certainly boycotting his casinos and hotels and apartment buildings."

Mr. Roskoff, from New York City, is credited with co-authoring the nation's first gay rights bill in the 1970's, reported The Daily News. He is also a co-founder of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club.

Do Something About Marriage Equality

Op-Ed : Hold Speaker Quinn Accountable For Lack Of Marriage Equality In New York City

Over the last year, a prominent campaign was announced, encouraging ''... LGBT Americans and straight allies to withhold time and money from political entities that are not fighting as hard for our equality ... .''

''Democrats and Republicans are holding our equality hostage -– promising progress if we vote them back into office year after year, but never actually delivering on those promises. It’s time for us to call them on their game of chicken. We are insisting on progress before we will prop up political parties and committees that expect us to donate while they fund anti-equality candidates and fail us time after time.'' This includes, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who is presumed to be aggressively raising money and support in preparation to mount a 2013 campaign for New York City's mayoral office.

On 13 January 2011, Speaker Quinn attended an event sponsored by Freedom To Marry, a national marriage equality organisation. Speaker Christine Quinn shows up to gay rights events -- or gay engagement announcements, like the one that took place on the evening that this YouTube was made -- but Speaker Quinn has never introduced any law to establish marriage equality in New York City. In contrast, Gavin Newson helped to reshape marriage equality for the United States by allowing same-sex couples to receive marriage licenses in San Francisco. New York voters need to hold Speaker Quinn accountable for having taken no action during all her years as Speaker to make marriage equality a reality.

At a time when, if we expect to make real progress in terms of gay civil rights, we need ''All Hands On Deck,'' here we find that, instead, Speaker Quinn still has her hands in the cookie jar. If gay marriage ever becomes legal in New York City, it won't be because of Speaker Quinn.