Maggie Gallagher Vs. Danny O'Donnell

New York Marriage Reactions

Empire State Pride Agenda

“Love and fairness wins the day for all New Yorkers and our families. Today is a historic day and a victory for equality and justice – it is the culmination of many years of work by the Pride Agenda and others across the state,” said Ross D. Levi, Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda. “We are thrilled that finally all loving, committed New Yorkers will be able to make the commitment of marriage here in the Empire State.”

NY Sen. Thomas Duane

"There are rare moments when the historical significance of an action speaks for itself and words can’t capture the magnitude. This is one such moment. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) New Yorkers will no longer be denied the right to marry the ones they love. For the first time in New York’s rich history they will be granted equal protection under the law. I want to commend the incredible leadership and passion of Governor Andrew Cuomo who made good on his promise to make Marriage Equality the law in New York State. I also want to thank my colleagues in the State Senate on both sides of the aisle, and in the Assembly, who took a courageous stand when it would have been far easier for them to turn away from what I know for many was a difficult issue."

NY Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell

"Thomas Jefferson once wrote, 'our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions.' Today, the New York State Legislature has affirmed the truth of that fundamental principle with the passage of the Marriage Equality Act. I am proud to have played a central role in this crucial moment for our state. Once Marriage Equality is signed into law, our state will be the most populous in the entire nation with these rights. I hope that with this prominence, our great state will shine as a beacon of equality and lead other states from the darkness of injustice. I will never forget this day."

Freedom To Marry

"Winning the freedom to marry in New York truly is a transformative moment for committed couples and for our country, a triumph for love and equality under the law,” said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry. “Now that we’ve made it here, we’ll make it everywhere – and as Americans’ hearts open and minds continue to change in favor of the freedom to marry, the momentum coming from New York’s giant step forward brings a nationwide end to marriage discrimination closer than ever.”

American Foundation for Equal Rights

“New Yorkers have plenty to celebrate this Pride Month. There’s no doubt that today will be revered as a major turning point in civil rights history. A bipartisan group of legislators have affirmed that equal rights for every citizen is not a partisan issue, but an American value. Yet for millions of Americans who do not live in New York, Washington DC, or the five other states that have recognized the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian Americans, they are still suffering the injustice of discrimination every day. The freedom to marry is a constitutional liberty and the birthright of every American. Constitutional rights belong to every individual, regardless of the state you inhabit. This has recently been affirmed within the past year by federal courts in our nation’s most prominent civil rights cases."

NY SENATE APPROVES MARRIAGE!!!

The vote was 33-29!!!!

I love you, New York.

Now please excuse me as I slip away for some heavy drinking. Marriage equality in New York has been one of the top focuses of this here website thingy for a long, long time.

Danny O'Donnell Vs. Brian Brown

Watch this!

NY Assembly Approves Marriage

Openly gay New York state Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell has shepherded his chamber to an approval of marriage equality for the fourth time. Gay City News reports:

While State Senate Republicans on June 15 dragged their heels on moving a marriage equality bill to debate and a vote, the Assembly, having waived the three-day hold on newly introduced legislation, rushed Governor Andrew Cuomo’s measure through committee and to the floor, where it passed by an 80-63 vote Wednesday evening. This was the Assembly’s fourth vote on marriage equality, each one of them successful, since 2007. Upper West Side Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, an out gay Democrat, is the lead sponsor. On the heels of two Republican senators pledging their “yes” votes in recent days, the majority in that chamber met behind closed doors for more than four hours on Wednesday morning, only to announce they would pick up the discussion again the following day. Senators who have yet to firmly commit to one side or another refused comment or stuck to their noncommittal positions. The public count of Senate supporters stands at 31, one vote shy of a majority.

NEW YORK: Daniel O'Donnell Introduces Marriage Equality Bill In State Assembly

Openly gay New York Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell yesterday once again introduced a marriage equality bill to his chamber. Similar bills authored by O'Donnell have passed in the Assembly several times in recent years. He writes via press release:

"It is with great pride that I am introducing the Marriage Equality Act. Since the Assembly last passed the bill in 2009, there has been an overwhelming groundswell of support for Marriage Equality across our state. Recent poll numbers have shown a strong majority of New Yorkers now stand firmly in support of Marriage Equality. However, nowhere was this powerful belief in equality more clear than at Monday's 'Equality and Justice Day' rally in Albany, where citizens from across our state came together and demanded equality under law in one unified voice."

NY Senate PASSES Anti-Bullying Law After Failing For Nine Consecutive Years

The anti-bullying Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) has finally passed in the New York Senate after nine consecutive years of shooting the bill down. A large part of the credit for this success goes, of course, to the bill's Assembly sponsor, Daniel O'Donnell and its Senate sponsor, openly gay Sen. Thomas Duane. The bill passed overwhelmingly in the Assembly last month and Gov. Paterson has pledged to sign it into law. Via press release from O'Donnell's office:

Assembly Member O'Donnell remarked, "Too many students are bullied based on real or perceived differences with their classmates. Every student deserves an environment free of harassment and discrimination, an environment that allows every child to reach his or her full potential. For too long, our educational system has been blind to the plight of these students. I am proud that the Assembly led the way on this important issue, and that the Dignity for All Students Act will finally reach the Governor's desk." O'Donnell strongly thanks his Assembly colleagues for their longtime leadership on this and other LGBT issues, the countless advocates who lobbied the Legislature on behalf of DASA, the Senate leadership for delivering a successful vote, and Governor Paterson for his steadfast support of this important piece of legislation.

The Empire State Pride Agenda cheers:

Today’s vote in the State Senate marks a significant victory after years of fighting to protect students from bullying and harassment in schools. The Dignity bill creates tools for school administrators, teachers, parents and students to address bullying and bias-related behavior of all kinds that interfere with student safety and learning. Key provisions include: developing rules to prevent and respond to discriminatory harassment and hate violence; establishing teacher, staff and administrative training guidelines; incorporating discrimination awareness into civility and character education curricula; and required reporting of incidents of bias harassment to the State Education Department. In addition to sexual orientation and other categories such as race, color, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, weight, and disability, Dignity offers protections based on gender identity and expression. This marks the first time that protections based on gender identity and expression would be included in state law.

NEW YORK: Daniel O'Donnell Introduces Bill To Allow Joint State Tax Filings

Openly gay New York state Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell today introduced legislation that would allow legally married gay couples to jointly file their state income tax returns. Via press release:

If enacted, New York State would recognize legal same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions regardless of whether the federal government does so. Specifically, A.11479 creates an exception to the statutory rule that an individual's state income tax filing status is determined by his or her federal income tax filing status. Upon the introduction of this bill, O'Donnell remarked: "This legislation will bring state tax law into compliance with the most current legal precedents. New York State must remove every statutory barrier to the full recognition of legal same-sex marriages. Gay and lesbian spouses deserve every financial benefit that currently accrues to heterosexual married couples regardless of whether or not the federal government recognizes those unions."

Another reason to get up to Connecticut if you've been planning to marry.

NY Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell Gets Bullying Law Passed For NINTH Time

Openly gay New York state Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell (D-USW) has successfully shepherded the anti-bullying Dignity For All Students Act (DASA) through his chamber. For the NINTH time. The bill passed with only four dissenting votes. And this time DASA could help win the state a fortune in federal funding.

The bill covers the broadest categories of students who face harassment and discrimination in our state's schools and clarifies that those protections should not be limited to the categories listed—actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or sex. Recently, the New York Civil Liberties Union championed the measure and released its analysis that enacting DASA could boost New York's ‘Race to the Top' score by 7-15 points. DASA requires reporting on all bullying incidents, which meets the U.S. Department of Education's emphasis on capturing data that impacts student achievement. A successful application in this second round could net New York up to $700 million in education funding. Working closely with the N.Y.S. Department of Education and his colleagues, Assembly Member O'Donnell has crafted legislation that can be easily implemented and will more likely accomplish its intended effect.

Nine times O'Donnell has pushed this through the Assembly and nine fucking times the state Senate has failed to do the same. Let's see how they do this time with a potential $700M on the line.

May 20th: Campaign Fundraiser For Openly Gay NY Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell

Openly gay New York Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell will hold a campaign fundraiser in NYC next Thursday. As regular readers know, it was O'Donnell who successfully guided the state's marriage equality bill through the state Assembly. THREE TIMES, in fact. Embiggen the above image for details about next week's fundraiser. You can also contribute to O'Donnell's campaign via his ActBlue page. Danny's a good man and he's one of ours. Keep him fighting your battles in the New York legislature.