Gillibrand Pushes For NY Marriage

Gillibrand: Obama May Endorse Marriage Equality Before 2012 Election

In an interview with Andrew Harmon at the Advocate, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand speculates that President Obama might complete his "evolution" on same-sex marriage before the 2012 election.

Harmon: Do you think it’s possible that he could come out in support of marriage equality before the 2012 election?

Gillibrand: Definitely. He put the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in his State of the Union address. So there’s no reason why he can’t lean into marriage equality in a public speech or through some action he could do through the White House. I’d be thrilled if he decided to do that. He did take the step of not [defending] DOMA through his Department of Justice, which is a fantastic step because it was one that he was unwilling to do in “don’t ask, don’t tell.” So it shows a shift in his willingness to use the power of the White House — the power of the administration — to change public perception and to change policy. So I think we could get a very strong public statement out of him.

Read the full interview.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Calls Undecided NY State Senators On Marriage Equality

Gillibrand's phone campaign comes after Gov. Cuomo hinted that he would not call for a vote on the issue unless he became convinced that passage was guaranteed in the Senate. And I remain ashamed about blogging my skepticism when Gillibrand was first appointed to replace Hillary Clinton.

(Via - Towleroad)

Feinstein & Gillibrand Intro DOMA Repeal

Quote Of The Day - Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

"All children should always feel safe and secure in our schools. While at school to learn, some students are forced to endure harassment, violence, bullying, and intimidation because of their sexual orientation. This is completely unacceptable. Our laws ensure that all students have access to public education in a safe environment free from discrimination, and these laws must guarantee these same protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students." - Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, announcing today's reintroduction of the federal anti-bullying Student Non-Discrimination Act, which died in committee in 2010.

Gillbrand is one of 21 Senate cosponsors of the bill.

The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) would establish a comprehensive federal prohibition against discrimination in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. It would forbid schools from discriminating against LGBT students or ignoring harassing behavior. SNDA would also provide meaningful and effective remedies (loss of federal funding and a legal cause of action for victims) for discrimination in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, modeled after Title IX.

Quote Of The Day - Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

"Dear Mr. Speaker, In a letter to you last week, the Attorney General advised that the Administration has concluded that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional and therefore will cease to defend the statute in pending litigation. It is in the best interests of taxpayers and the constitution for you to refrain from appointing special counsel to defend this law. A decision to appoint special counsel would be an unnecessary cost to taxpayers, and would detract from our shared goal of cutting wasteful spending and creating jobs.

"The executive branch’s responsibility to defend federal laws is not absolute, particularly in instances such as the present case, where the federal law is in direct conflict with the confines of the Constitution. At this critical economic juncture in our nation’s history, it is imperative that we as legislators do not devote resources to defending an antiquated and unconstitutional law."- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, in a letter sent today to House Speaker John Boehner.

Gillibrand Launches RepealDOMA.com

Just launched by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Via Huffington Post:

We must repeal this discriminatory law. There is no reason same-sex couples should be denied the same rights that my husband and I and so many other straight Americans enjoy. For me it comes down to the very simple principles that every American should be able to marry the person they love, and that discrimination against LGBT Americans is unconstitutional and wrong. The law as it currently stands denies federal benefits to thousands of legally married couples -- more than 1,100 federal rights and privileges enjoyed by straight couples, including hospital visitation, inheritance and some health care benefits. It discourages states from recognizing these legal marriages and it denies millions more Americans the right to marry the person they love. This is wrong.

Gillibrand has also pledged to cosponsor Feinstein's coming repeal bill.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Pledges To Work Towards National Marriage Equality

Today Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand appeared on The View where she vowed to work towards marriage equality nationwide. A nice round of applause from the audience followed.

(Via - Good As You)

Thank You, Governor Paterson

As his final day in office winds to a close for Governor David Paterson, LGBT New Yorkers should offer him our thanks for being the most relentlessly and loudly pro-gay governor in state and arguably, national history. Our state movement's two most important pieces of legislation, GENDA and marriage equality, remain unattained, but that, of course, is due to our clown car of a state Senate and is no fault of the governor's.

Paterson, to his everlasting credit and over the loud protests of bigots, issued an executive order protecting state employees in New York from discrimination based on gender identity and expression. In May 2008, he directed state agencies to recognize out of state same-sex marriages, a move countered by numerous (and unsuccessful) lawsuits. And if there was a marriage equality rally or an angry protest, we usually showed up to find Governor Paterson at the podium or on a bullhorn. Probably my most memorable moment of Paterson's tenure was watching him stand in a pouring rain in Washington Square to deliver an impassioned speech against the bullying and abuse of LGBT youth.

And let's not forget Gov. Paterson's unexpected selection of an obscure upstate legislator with wobbly bona fides to fill the formidable shoes of then Sen. Hillary Clinton. Many questioned that move at the time (myself included), but Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has surprised us all and turned into a powerful and effective advocate for LGBT New Yorkers. Sen. Gillibrand may turn out to be Paterson's most enduring legacy for the good of our movement.

We've had the occasional disagreement with Gov. Paterson, in particular the continuing exclusion of indigent HIV patients from the state's rent relief program for the seriously ill. But even that bad decision grew out of the state's financial morass and not from animus. Today, let's thank Governor David Paterson for his support of the LGBT community and hope that one day soon, we'll again see thousands of New Yorkers happily marching in the NYC Pride Parade wearing stickers proclaiming "We Luv Our Guv!"

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand & Rep. Jared Polis On Tomorrow's DADT Senate Vote

Lieberman And Collins Introduce Stand-Alone DADT Repeal Bill

With co-sponsors Sen. Mark Udall, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and GOP Sen. Susan Collins, independent Sen. Joe Lieberman has introduced the stand-alone DADT repeal bill he promised yesterday. The above-linked bill-tracking site indicates that Lieberman's measure has been referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee, although Lieberman has promised that his bill will go directly to a floor vote without Committee approval.

DADT Survey Reactions

Senators Gillibrand, Udall, and Liebermann

"The Pentagon report makes it unambiguously clear that the risk of repeal on military effectiveness is minimal, that any risks can be addressed by implementing the report’s recommendations, and that a clear majority of active duty servicemen and women have no problem with repeal. The military has spoken and now is the time to repeal this policy that is damaging to our national security. The report is the product of one of the most, if not the most, extensive studies on a military personnel issue that has ever been conducted and its findings demonstrate that we can proceed with repeal of this discriminatory policy in a way that ensures that the U.S. military continues to be the best fighting force in the world. Men and women, regardless of their race, religion, or sexual orientation, who are willing to fight and defend our country should be allowed to do so without fear of discrimination."

Servicemembers United

"This thorough and comprehensive report makes clear to lawmakers and the American people once and for all that the U.S. military is capable of handling the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' The questions are now answered and the debate is now settled," said Alexander Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United and a former U.S. Army Human Intelligence Collector who was discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." "It's now up to the Senate to bring the defense authorization bill back to the floor, allow 10 to 20 amendments to be debated on each side, and get this bill passed. We have the votes now if the process is fair."

People For The American Way

“For years, the Right has fought to preserve the discriminatory, ineffective Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, claiming that allowing gay and lesbian Americans to serve their country would put American troops in harm’s way. The Defense Department’s comprehensive study exposes this ugly, dishonest fear-mongering for what it is. The vast majority of U.S. troops do not feel threatened by serving alongside gays and lesbians, and our military leaders say repealing the policy won’t put national security at risk—in fact, the opposite is true. Allowing gay and lesbian service members to serve openly makes all of us safer. The arguments for keeping Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell have come up empty. It’s time for the Senate to listen to our troops, to the courts, to the majority of Americans, and to their own common sense, and end this failed experiment in discrimination once and for all.”

Stonewall Democrats

"Recent statements by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and even Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) that more study needs to take place before repeal are just stall tactics, especially given the thorough, year-long process that the Defense Department undertook to study the issue of repeal. We also find it ironic that the Senators said that the upper chamber should be talking about jobs and not ‘political’ issues like DADT repeal. We remind the Senators that DADT is about jobs: the jobs of thousands of soldiers, some of them mission critical and irreplaceable, who were discharged from the military because of the discriminatory DADT. DADT repeal is not some fringe issue being pushed by a small minority; it is an issue supported by a large majority of Americans and now, we find with the official release of the study, by an equally large majority of the military."

OutServe

"This report definitely answers the question of the impact of DADT repeal on the military. Specifically, knowing a soldier is gay has no negative impact on readiness," said Jonathan Hopkins, former Army Captain and veteran of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We've known this for a long time. Among military members who know they've served with someone gay, 92% said that repeal would have little or no negative effect on military readiness. 69% of servicemembers who responded to the survey said they served with someone they knew or suspected was gay. "This study gets to the facts, and exposes the invented argument of 'unit cohesion' as a myth," said Hopkins. "Those who've served with gay or lesbian soldiers, Marines, or servicemembers of any stripe recognize that gay troops have – as the Pentagon report says – a 'patriotic desire to serve' as well as a 'desire to fit in, coexist, and succeed in the military environment.'""I don't want any special treatment. I just want them to take the knife out of my back so I can serve," said an anonymous gay Marine on the OutServe network.

Human Rights Campaign

“This issue has been studied for fifty years, including by the military itself, and the results from over twenty-two studies are uniform: open service does not harm effectiveness,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “The small handful of Senators blocking repeal no longer have any fig leaves behind which to hide. The time for repeal is now.” “America’s men and women in uniform are professionals who already serve with gays and lesbians and repeal will do nothing to change their dedication to protecting our nation,” said Solmonese. “Senators who said they want to hear from military leaders and troops now have their answers. Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ will allow every qualified man and woman to serve without sacrificing the high standards that have made our military great.”

Maddow On Today's DADT Actions

Sens. Gillibrand, Lieberman, & Udall Call For Repeal Of DADT Via Defense Act

Embiggen the above image to read the just-issued press release from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in which she joins Lieberman and Udall in urging the repeal of DADT via its attachment to the National Defense Authorization Act.

NEW YORK: Sen. Chuck Schumer And Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Win Easily

I was only going to report on the really close races and these two were miles ahead from the start, but since it's my home state I'll make an exception.

HRC's 2010 Congressional Scorecard

Shown above are the ratings for my three reps in Congress, according to how the HRC judges their support for LGBT issues. Another benefit of living in this moonbat commie/socialist paradise. The HRC notes via press release:

In the House, 145 members scored 90 percent or above, compared to 128 members last congress. In the Senate, those scoring 90 percent and above rose from 32 to 36. But disturbingly, the number of Senators with a zero percent score doubled from 16 to 32 this Congress. In addition, the number of House Members that consistently oppose LGBT equality has remained essentially constant increasing from 143 to 144. “As more and more Americans support equality for LGBT people, some members of Congress are showing real leadership while others are digging in their heels to cater to an anti-LGBT fringe constituency,” added HRC Legislative Director Allison Herwitt.

Check out the just-released 2010 edition of the HRC's Congressional Scorecard and report back here on your own reps' ratings.

NEW YORK: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand In Comfortable Lead Over Joe DioGuardi

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand leads comfortably in the polls over Joe DioGuardi, who is the father of American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. Gillibrand has emerged as a Senate leader on LGBT issues in the less than two years since being appointed to Hillary Clinton's seat.

Gillibrand Tweets Gaga

Gillibrand Ad Slams Radical GOP

NY Daily News columnist Celeste Katz tips us to this new ad from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

"You've seen the extreme Republicans who are running for Senate in Kentucky and Nevada, but have you seen the candidates running to challenge Kirsten Gillibrand in New York? All three of them would bring their own brand of Republican extremism to New York. We can't let that happen," say the liner notes on for this new bash on the GOP trio vying for the chance to unseat Democratic incumbent Gillibrand come November. The new video, sliced and diced from a televised NY1/YNN debate, seems geared to make the three Republicans -- Bruce Blakeman, Joe DioGuardi and David Malpass -- appear frankly bumbling, and lumps them in with the likes of Rand Paul and Sharron Angle.

Katz notes that Gillibrand is doing well in the polls and is "sitting on a pile of cash."

Sen. Gillibrand On DADT Repeal

Good As You tips us to this In The Life segment in which Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand talks to two victims of DADT. Gillibrand remains one of the staunchest Senate proponents of the repeal of DADT.