Jose Peralta For New York Senate

Jose Peralta a progressive democrat is running for New York state senate against anti-gay incumbent Hiram Monserrate. Fight Back New York an advocacy group committed to ousting all the senators who voted against marriage equality is urging all in the 13th district of Queens (Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst and Woodside) to vote in the special election tomorrow on March 16th.

Monserrate was convicted of domestic violence for slashing his girlfriend in the face and was consequently expelled from the Senate. Anti-gay right-wingers are supporting him for his efforts to deny marriage equality to same-sex couples.



Jose Peralta has an LGBT rights voting record, voting three times for marriage equality! Please learn more, donate, and campaign for Peralta.

*Image courtesy of Manhattan Young Democrats.

Weekend Protests Directed at Anti-Marriage Equality NY Senators

Marriage Equality New York is organizing several protests against senators who voted against equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. The protests follow a recent vote by the New York State Senate where same-sex marriage failed by a 38-24 margin.

The protests are scheduled throughout the weekend. Activists are responding by supporting opposition (pro-equality) candidates for the upcoming 2010 election.

MENY Protests are against Senators Hiram Monserrate, Carl Kruger, George Onorato, and Thomas Morahan.

New York City Rally for Marriage Equality 5.17.09

For more info or to distribute fliers goto Broadway Impact.

Inclusive St. Patrick's Day Parade in NYC

Please join Irish Queers as we protest LGBT exclusion from the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. For 18 years, Irish and Irish American queers have been challenging the narrow definition of Irishness set forth by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a conservative, Catholic,
all-male organization that runs many St. Patrick's Day Parades across the country. As a right wing organization, the AOH prohibits all LGBT people and anyone that is pro-choice from OPENLY taking part in their events. Although the parade has been billed as the largest celebration of Irish culture in the world, the New York Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Catholic Archdiocese have redefined it as a private, religious event (taking place on public streets) where many Irish people are not welcome.

While our fight began in the 1990s within New York's Irish and church
institutions, we have learned that the City, the NYPD and the courts
are all willing to trample and erase the diverse fabric of the Irish
community. Our struggle is not just with the parade organizers and
Catholic hierarchy, but with military organizations, the NYPD, the
FDNY and other public servants who, while wearing their official uniforms,
use the parade to express sentiments of hate and superiority that would
not be allowed at other events.

Please join us on March 17th on Fifth Avenue @ 57th street (on the
west side) from 11am - 1pm. Stand up for a definition of Irishness
that values human rights and diverse communities!

For more information, write us at irishqueers@hotmail.com
http://www.stpatsforall.com/

NYC Restores Funds to Ali Forney Center

UPDATE: "Officials have restored funding for a drop-in center for homeless gay youth, a high-risk group for contracting HIV" (LGBT Youth News).

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11/5/08 - The Ali Forney Center is an LGBT homeless youth shelter that operates in New York City. Due to the current financial crisis in the economy, the local government has cut funding which is now threatening the existence of the project. The $600,000 the center receives annually in assistance is their only source of income.

Please call on Mayor Michael Bloomberg to restore funding to the Ali Forney Center by clicking here and copying and pasting the following text into the contact box provided on the form.

Dear Mayor Bloomberg:

I am writing this to request your assistance in preventing the defunding of the Ali Forney Center's drop-in services to homeless LGBT youth. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has announced that in 2009 it will cease allocating HOPWA funds to the drop-in services of the Ali Forney Center, resulting in the defunding of New York City's only full time drop-in center for homeless LGBT youth. The closure of this program would create a terrible service gap for homeless LGBT youths and would put their lives at risk.

Of particular concern is the loss of HIV prevention, testing and treatment that would result from the center's closure. As recent studies have indicated that HIV is spreading most rapidly in Black and Latino men who have sex with men under the age of 30, the loss of the comprehensive and innovative HIV services at AFC's drop-in center would be catastrophic.

Please see to it that the HOPWA funds are restored, or that new funding is put in place to ensure the continuation of these invaluable services to the homeless LGBT youth of our City.

Please visit the Ali Forney Center website to donate any money, or to donate items such as food, clothing, and other items which may be useful to the center.

Prospects for Marriage Equality in New York on Thin Ice

CALL TO ACTION: Dec 1st, please take action on this issue!

In New York it boils down to marriage equality or a continuation of denying equal rights. Democrats now have a very slim majority in the senate which paves way for the opportunity to introduce a marriage bill which already passed the legislature, and which the governor is eager to sign into law.

The current obstacle is three socially conservative democrats who refuse to support a democratic majority leader who will put forth a same-sex marriage bill for a vote. These three senators will possibly even cross party lines and caucus with the republicans in order to ensure it doesn't happen.

It is uncertain how a vote on same-sex marriage would turn out, not all democrats support it, and not all republicans oppose it. 5-6 republican senators are likely to vote in favor of marriage equality.

Below are the three socially conservative democrats opposing same-sex marriage and a majority leader who will allow the bill to come to the floor for a vote:

Senator Carl Kruger
kruger@senate.state.ny.us

Office of State Senator Carl Kruger
2201 Avenue U
Brooklyn, NY 11229
Tel: (718) 743-8610

Senator Ruben Diaz
diaz@senate.state.ny.us

1733 East 172nd Street
Bronx, NY 10472
Tel: (718) 991-3161

-Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. - No contact info found

It is imperative that we contact these senators and urge them to vote along the New York Democratic Party platform which supports same-sex marriage. When calling please be sure to let them know as democrats it is their obligation to support Malcolm Smith for majority leader. The fate of marriage equality very well may lie in the hands of a few socially conservative democrats trying to impose their will on the majority.

TAKE ACTION: Pier 40 Vote The People's Ballot

I blogged about efforts by FIERCE NYC to oppose private development of Pier 40 a place where LGBT youth of color and homeless youth in NYC have traditionally been safe to hang out and be themselves. Read more about that here...

Please sign the petition to oppose privatization and support an LGBT youth center!

"Our vote says YES to:

* people coming before profit and a pier 40 re-development plan that does not rely on a private developer

* the needs of the community, including LGBTQ youth, are incorporated into the development plans for pier 40

* a 24-hour LGBTQ Youth Center on Pier 40!"

Sign the Petition!