Another Loss for Marriage Equality

Yesterday, quite unfortunately, the New York State Senate voted down a bill that would have ended marriage discrimination in their state. Both the ACLU and the HRC expressed their disappointment in the state senate's failure to legalize same-sex marriages, the vote being 38 to 24 against.

This is a disappointment not only for New Yorkers and for the equal marriage rights movement in general, but also specifically for those in New Jersey who had been hoping that similar legislation would come up in the state congress. According to 365gay.com, "It’s going to help cement defeat for gay marriage in New Jersey, and  [could] get a whole bunch of politicians in New Hampshire who voted for gay marriage this year pretty nervous when they come up for election.”

The fact is that as all these equal marriage movements are defeated, it gets harder and harder for others states to have success. The passing of issue 1 in Maine and now the defeat of equal marriage in New York are creating painful disappointment in the LGBT community.

But there is hope. According to NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman, "this is only a temporary setback in our campaign to protect all New York families. The majority of New Yorkers support fair marriage laws that protect lesbian and gay families, and the day will come when we achieve that goal."

If there is hope in New York, than there is hope in New Jersey, and there is hope across the country. There will come a day when the goal of equality for the LGBT community is achieved. But we must hold on and keep strong until that day comes.

Sources: 
ACLU Website:  "NYCLU: Senate's Failure to Pass Marriage is Disappointing..."
365gay.com: Gay-marriage opponents welcome NY bill’s defeat

HRC Website: New York Senate Rejects Marriage Bill for Same-Sex Couples

5 Elections to Watch

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Now it's time to get back to work.

Even though the majority of elections were decided on November 3, there are still five races important to the LGBT community headed to run-off elections.  The Victory Fund has endorsed five openly LGBT candidates still running for public office in Houston, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia:

Annise Parker:  Houston will become the largest U.S. city ever to elect an openly LGBT mayor if she wins this incredibly close runoff election.

Alex Wan:  Alex is well-positioned to become the first openly gay man and first Asian-American ever elected to office in Atlanta.

Simone Bell:  Simone will become the first openly lesbian Africa-American elected to a state legislature in the U.S. if she wins this race for the Georgia State House.

Sue Lovell:  Sue is an at-large member of the Houston City Council who's been open and honest about her sexual orientation for years, and because of that she's been a strong voice for equality in Houston city government.  She's running for her third and final two-year term. 

Lane Lewis:  Lane hopes to join Sue on the Houston City Council and add his expertise as former teacher, appointed official and civic activist.

One Year Out: 2010 PA Governor's Race

With less than 348 days until Pennsylvania voters go to the polls on Tuesday, November 2 to elect the next Governor, and just under 6 months before the Primary in May, EQPA has a brief update on the players in the 2010 PA Governor's race. (click each candidates' name to be directed to their campaign website. Incumbent party is listed first. Details courtesy of Politics1.com)

Democrats:

Chris Doherty - Mayor of Scranton
Joe Hoeffel - Montgomery County Commissioner, Former U.S. Congressman and '04 U.S. Senate Candidate
Tom Knox - Businessman and '07 Philadelphia Mayoral Candidate
Dan Onorato - Allegheny County Executive, former Pittsburgh City Councilman
Jack Wagner - State Auditor General, Former State Senator, Former Pittsburgh Council President

Republicans:

Tom Corbett - Attorney General, Former U.S. Attorney
Jim Gerlach - Congressman, Former State Senator and Representative
Robert Allen Mansfield - Businessman
Sam Rohrer - State Representative, Businessman

Independents:

Rich Gordon - Truck Driver, Former Businessman, and Retired Port Authority Worker

Early polling data can be found here and here.

Needless to say, the race is pretty crowded as of now. As Primary season heats up early next year, however, expect several weaker players to drop out. EQPA will try and give more in-depth analysis as the candidates' positions and views on issues important to the LGBT community become clearer.

The Week in LGBT News

Happy Friday, everyone! This week brought much success to the LGBT trenches with over 50 LGBT candidates elected to public office across the country. Here in Pennsylvania, all six LGBT candidates up for election were elected to office.

Philadelphia's Common Pleas Court candidate Dan Anders, the first openly gay judge appointed by Governor Ed Rendell in 2007, was elected to the court for the first time last night. Also in Philadelphia, Municipal Court Judge candidate Dawn Segal won. And finally, Harrisburg City Councilman Dan Miller was elected Harrisburg City Controller, Sharyn Keiser was elected New Hope Councilmember, Karl Marking was elected to the Coatesville City Council, and Lori Schreiber was elected to the Abington Township Commission last night.

Click here for a complete listing of LGBT candidates and their election results across the country.

In national news, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held hearings this week on the Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The committee posted the full text of their hearings.

Find your local Senator here, and tell them to SUPPORT the federal ENDA.

Also, Governor Patterson of New York has put gay marriage on the agenda for the Empire State's special legislative session.

While most commentators and pundits will be talking about the gay marriage setback in Maine in the days and weeks to come, we must never forget that marriage equality is not the ONLY problem facing LGBT Americans and Pennsylvanians. Employment discrimination, health care, schoolyard bullying, hate crimes, and equal protection in public accomodations are all areas in which LGBT Pennsylvanians have a vested interest.

Remember: the Maine legislature passed LGBT non-discrimination FOUR times before the voters let it stand. We'll be back in Maine, and we will win.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote, "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it curves toward justice."

We need to continue our efforts to make sure that it does.

Dead Heat in Maine!

There appears to be some good news about the Maine Peoples' Veto--a ballot initiative attempting to overturn the marriage equality law that passed earlier this year. According to a poll reported in Bay Windows, New Englands' largest LGBT newspaper, 51.8% of "likely" voters say they will vote "No" on measure 1, with just under 43% saying they will vote "Yes." Great news for those of us following the "No on 1" campaign to protect marriage equality in Maine!

With general polls in Maine opening on November 3 (early voting begins October 26), however, blogger "Joe. My. God." cites a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling that shows a 48-48% tie with 4% undecided.

Regardless of which poll is accurate, the only poll that matters is the one taken on Nov. 3. So if you live in Maine and aren't already, get involved, get out the vote, and help support marriage equality!

In more local news, if you live or will be in Philly tomorrow night at 6:00pm, don't forget to come by EQPA's October Philadelphia Volunteer Night, Part 2! at our offices in Center City at 1211 Chestnut St., Suite 605. As usual, FREE food, great company, and bumpin' music will be provided! Hope to see you there!