New York Legalizes Marriage Equality!

In a landmark legislative victory for the state of New York, and a week after the state assembly passed a similar bill, the New York Senate finally passed a bill legalizing marriage for Same-Sex couples of New York State. This victory for Gay Rights proponents comes at the cusp of Pride Weekend in New York City.

The state already recognized out of state marriages and will join 5 other states and the District of Columbia in the short list of states that can now register same sex couples with marriage licenses. The addition of New York state more than DOUBLES the population of eligible couples bringing the extended community closer by population to changing the hearts and minds of the American people, which recently polled for the first time to support Marriage Equality in greater numbers than not, for the first time in US history.

Governor Cuomo quickly signed the bill into law not even an hour after the bill passed the Senate, the law will take affect in 30 days.

 

Republican Presidential Debate On Same-Sex Marriage & and support reintroduction of DADT

 

Rant: This was just a big, and as a matter of fact scary debate on Gay Rights. I fear for the Gay Rights movement via the legislature if one of these individuals is elected. They actually had the audacity to suggest near the end that being homosexual should be “punishable as bad behavior”

 

Speaker Pelosi- “It Gets Better”

Personal: She was Speaker at the time, and she is an inspiration to us all.

Secretary Clinton- “Tomorrow Will Be Better”

 

A heartfelt response to Tracy Morgan’s most recent AntiGay tirade “I don’t usually do this”

Me Personally:  I have been out for yrs, I am far more comfortable being gay at this time in my life, than a lot of older gay men are, but kids dont have that yet. Its hard for them to get that, when they are seeing the AntiGay rhetoric in the media, from their family, from the people who they call their friends, then people who make money off of this all the time “comedians”.

What’s really sad are those who defend these people, and can only relate to the person being “attacked by the mean and powerful gay community” but can only see from one side of it. I am a black gay male, I understand that black comedians are kept on a short leash. At the end of the day though, an accurate comparison is NOT what “Chris Rock and Bernie Mack” said recently, the Civil Rights era for black voting rights and equal treatment under the law is over!…and accurate comparison would be a white comedian making racist jokes about black people during that era, since today the gay rights movement is taking place.

You cannot expect a group of legally marginalized people to not be upset, when we have young gay boy growing up believing that they don’t matter, that they are to be hated, that they are “less than a man”. We all know that men in general can be easily emasculated, imagine when an entire society no, and entire world is telling you that you don’t belong to anything?! I am proud of Wanda Sykes for taking on Roland Martin and Chris Rock(who changed his tune), she understand that fine line that we walk between our sexuality, and the black community and I’ll leave it at that.

Obama administration to extend Medicaid protections to Gay Couples

Today the Obama administration announced a net set of GLB inclusive policy guidelines for Medicaid. for example,  states will now have the option to allow healthy partners in a same-sex relationship to keep their homes while their partners are receiving support for long-term care under Medicaid, such as care in a nursing home.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had this to say about the new policy- “Low-income same-sex couples are too often denied equal treatment and the protections offered to other families in their greatest times of need. That is now changing. Today’s guidance represents another important step toward ensuring the rights and dignity of every American are respected by their government.”

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Michael Strahan for HRC’s NYers for Marriage Equality

Minnesota State Rep. Simon Impassioned Speech against Marriage Amendment

Opinion: What a great speech, it made me feel good to know that we have some religious people on our side. We always knew they were there, more need to speak up. Now if we could get a speech like this in the United States House OF Representatives, preferably from Nancy Pelosi or Anthony Weiner.

Teaparty blames “Gun Control” on beating of Transwoman

In a shocking display of cruelty and utter disregard for facts, the tea-party issued a statement condemning not the heinous attack on Transwoman Chrissy Lee Polis, but the “Gun Control Nazis”. Shelby County, Tennessee assistant district attorney Judson Phillips, founder of Teaparty nation, writes that since the crime didn’t involve guns, then guns aren’t a problem.

Judson further compares the situation of Polis, who he reference as a “he”, to the beating and murder of a Transgender individual in the UK, because the UK has far more restrictive gun policies than the state of Maryland, he writes.

“Gun control laws did not stop his killer. He had a gun. Had that happened in America, particularly in the red states, his assailants might not have been so eager to take him on if he had been able to reach under his shirt and even the fight with a M1911.”

By his logic, the attack also wouldn’t have happened if the store employees weren’t transphobic and cowardly..

The statements by Phillips were completely irrelevant to the fact that Polis was attacked by two people, and ignored by the store manager. In fact, the store manager didn’t only ignore her, but walk over her more than once inbetween the cowardly attacks on her. The store employers further proceeded to help the girls “escape” the store when the cops were on their way. To add insult to injury nobody thought to call an ambulance when she had a seizure, and laughed while they video recorded the incident.

Personal Post: Breaks my heart, because it’s true.

This is an article written in 2008, so some of the “facts” are wrong, like about Gay Marriage licenses, but it’s still relevant to today. I recommend any gay men reading this post, read the article that I Sourced at the bottom of this…

Anyway, the name of the article is “Are Gay Relationships Different”, and it basically talks about gay relationships, and why when gay people are ABOUT to break up, gay men, there’s nothing there holding them FROM breaking up. you see, marriage for example is more than an institution, I tried to explain this to my ex a while ago. Yes, sanctioned by the government, and religious institutions, but ALSO sanctioned and accepted by society as something that should be saved.

This means, that society, for example families, and therapists, will try to SAVE your relationship, talk you into keeping it if they know you’re happy, or at least for financial reasons. Gay people, ESPECIALLY gay men do not have this. Gay male relationships are still today seen by even the most liberal individuals as something that’s not normal. People can lie, and say they accept gay men for who they are, but their faces mostly tell the true story….I’ll leave it at that..

What really bothered me about this article is how it’s an age old story. These two men broke up, and nobody tried to save them, they had no financial reason to stay together, and their issues were the same as a straight couple’s at the same point in their relationship. It’s amazing how much money, and family means to one’s relationship, even when you don’t realize it. Having children is also a factor, but gay men rarely get that opportunity.

I’d hate to debate someone with this issue of “gay adoption”, marriage and child rearing because they never understand. The Due Process clause is there for a reason, why should I 1. Have to travel to obtain the same rights, why should I 2. Have to have different rights in different states, what if my husband and I travel, and he get’s sick? Or what if my job moves me to another state…if either of those situations has us go to a state where we’re not equal, then we’re FLOABW fucked..but I digress…there are so many things that a socially conscious gay male can see that are problems with our community. I disagree with this article about non-monogamy, I think it’s bullshit, even though it’s present, but that’s me..

It was sad that this guy was with a man 12 years, and they fell apart that easily…then he used the whole “we were too young” card. I disagree again, because if you’re in love who cares about your age, there are seniors who were together forever. If something make you happy, you live once. Why be in a relationship in your 20s looking forward to breaking up?

My main point here is this though, we have many hurdles to over come as gay men. I won’t speak on lesbians because I’m not one. What I will do is say that we as gay men need to refocus on what matters. We should want the gay males growing up to come into a different gay community different from the 70s, 80s and 90s gays…they don’t need that. It’s sad that so many gay men HAVE to turn toward the gay community and loose themselves in it, because they lost they’re families. This is why the gay community is important…I honestly believe it will get better in the next 15yrs, look at the progress we made in from 2003(Lawrence v Texas) to today..we’ll get there…

 

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