New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reacts after gay marriage was
legalized after a vote in the Senate Chamber at the Capitol
in Albany, N.Y., on Friday, June 24, 2011.
On June 24th the New York State Senate approved legislation for same sex marriages to be allowed. The vote was 33 for to 29 against. New York becomes the largest state to approve same sex marriages. New York joins the ranks of Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington, D.C. and the Coquille Indian Tribe in Oregon. This is a huge victory for the lesbian and gay community. They have suffered through years of waiting to be able to be married. Now for those who want to be married to the same sex New York becomes a beacon of hope.
One goal of every American politician and citizen is to strive for a more perfect union. It was with this in mind that on January 1, 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order to free all the slaves. This order was to become known as the Emancipation Proclamation. Fast forward to November 19th 2003 with me. On this day the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that the state "failed to identify any constitutionally adequate reason" to deny gay persons to marry. Most states constitutions are written similarly to the Nation's. That logic follows in gun laws, civil laws and drinking laws. If you continue to follow that logic then the banning of same sex unions is a violation of our civil rights. Yet, somehow when it comes to marriage laws the Federal and State governments chose to ignore this line of thinking. How could you be a citizen of New York, but not a citizen of the United States? It's baffling and it's more than confusing. It's outright bias and a slap in the face of every single person who choses to live an alternative lifestyle. The federal government still refuses to recognize the rights of lesbian and gays throughout this country. It's time for our country to be a little bit more progressive. Speaking of being progressive consider this.
There once was a notion that slavery wasn't just a privilege but, a right of every American. Here we sit 148 years later and every American knows that slavery is a violation of not just the law but, a person's right. It has taken years and hundreds of lives to give African-Americans the rights they deserve. In many ways lesbians and gays have had to suffer through many similar struggles to gain acceptance in this country the way the African American citizen has. Unfortunately for them the struggle is still real and long.
One of the reasons the law got passed in New York was that religious groups were given concessions as an incentive to calm down their religious rhetoric. In the new law religious groups will not be bound by law to perform same-sex unions. Religious groups also won't be able to be found liable for violating one's civil rights if they refuse marry same sex couples. This ruling is a victory in the minds of many in lesbian and gay community. Make no mistake about it, they have a long way to go before they are allowed their given rights as citizens of this country. Until then, we must all fight for their rights. Not because they're lesbian or gay but, because they are citizens like you and me.
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