A Letter to My Friends

Dear Friends,

This is a short message, It may seem ponderous because I have included resources and a personal testimony... but the next paragraph is all you need to know. This is not a cut and paste letter. I wrote and researched it personally because this is so important to me. I am sending it to everyone I know. I need your support. WE need your support. Straight, gay, married, single, Republican, Democrat, religious or not.

Feel free to forward this.

The message:

Please support Equal access to marriage in New York State. Write, fax, phone AND email your state legislators. If you are on board with this please just do it. There are resources listed below to help you find your State Senator and Representative if you don't know who to contact.

Now pick the sections below if you need more info or why this is important.

Who do I contact?

Contacting your State Senator is most important! The Senate is the turning point.

Find your State Senator by ZIP code

Mine is:

James S. Alesi
Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business
55th Senate District

Albany Office
Room 905 Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
Phone: (518) 455-2015
Fax: (518) 426-6968

District Office
220 Packetts Landing
Fairport, NY 14450
Phone: (585) 223-1800
Fax: (585) 223-3084

Submit comments via Senator Alesi's website

If you live in the Rochester area yours may be:

Joseph E. Robach
Chair of Civil Service & Pensions Committee
56th Senate District

Albany Office
902 Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
(518) 455-2909

Rochester Office
2300 W. Ridge Road
Rochester, NY 14626
(585) 225-3650

Contact Senator Robach via his website

The Assembly passed marriage equality previously, but this is a new bill, so it couldn't hurt:

To find you State Assembly Member by ZIP Code

You can also contact Governor Paterson to thank him for his continued support:

David A. Paterson
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

518-474-8390

Email him

All contact info

Read his press release

Don't live in NY?

All support is important! Write to the above Senators. Tell them why what NYS does is going to affect the nation.

Why now?

This was proposed by the Governor and passed by the Assembly before. It has now be reintroduced and needs to through the process again. If it does not pass THIS YEAR... next year is an election year... enough said.

Why is this important to you?

Civil rights are important to everyone. Even if it doesn't affect you, even if you are gay or lesbian and don't want to get married, the fact that anyone who does to get married can't get married should be important to you.

Why is it important to me?

When Kyle could finally be covered under the medical benefits of my contact, like any other spouse, it was a day of great joy and relief. After 35 years the monetary value paled to the "peace of mind" that benefit brought. When we were legally married in Canada, it was a much more moving experience than either of us expected it to be. Despite the fact that we are married, we are still denied full equality under NYS and Federal law. There are more than 1,300 rights and responsibilities that cannot be granted in any other way.

Pat Buchanan just said on MSNBC that although he is opposed he would not deny anyone a hospital visit to a "partner." So when someone who's family decides the "partner" of a lesbian or gay man should not be given access, they should call Pat Buchanan? Of course it's bigger than that. Your spouse has legal rights that your "partner" can't.

What organizations have a position worth reading?

HRC Position

NYS Pride Agenda From their home page you can open an EXCELLENT PDF which talks about the 1,324 Rights and responsibilities.

LIES used by the opponents:

Churches will be forced to marry gay couples. There is nothing that forces any clergy person or place of worship to marry anyone, gay or straight, that they determine should not be married. That will not change.

Schools will have to teach children about gay marriage. This was used in California. The state Superintendent made a public statement that schools do not "teach marriage" of any sort. It's another red herring.

The institution of marriage will be weakened. How can broadening the right to make this legal commitment weaken the institution?

PLEASE WRITE, VISIT, E-MAIL, CALL...

Thanks,

Neil