Same Sex Marriage Election Victory
By Michael Boyajian
After the New York State Senate’s failure last year to pass the same sex marriage bill Marriage Equality New York and other LGBT groups vowed to field candidates sympathetic to the measure. The gay community had its first opportunity with a special election in Queens, New York recently for the seat held by disgraced Senator Hiram Monserrate, a vocal opponent of same sex marriage. MENY supported Jose Peralta who handily won the race against Monserrate and a Republican running up huge numbers.
The gay community now has its first electoral victory under its belt making good on their pledge to march out of the pubs and into the streets. MENY’s political action committee, MENY PAC, supported Jose Peralta’s bid for the senate seat by pulling the vote on Election Day fielding upwards of over 50 volunteers draped in street theater style smocks emblazoned with the number 25 on them signifying that Mr. Peralta would be the 25th yes vote in the senate for marriage equality. MENY PAC also carried out an extensive Facebook advertising campaign and email chains. Cathy Marino-Thomas of MENY reports that they also held a meet and greet for Peralta and on Election Day they had volunteers working the polls, the phones and walking the district.
Jeffrey Friedman of MENY PAC reports that their support was not about getting even with Monserrate or fighting back but rather getting another yes vote for marriage equality. So they nicknamed Peralta number 25 and the rest is history. The movement he said is not about vengeance but about equality.
The gay community still wants the Democrats to maintain a majority in the senate so that when the lines are redrawn they will have districts that favor same sex marriage as is the case in the state assembly. This is not a cold political calculation but a way of making sure the majority of New Yorkers who favor marriage equality are represented in the senate. Still the gay community’s efforts are not entirely focused on the Republican senators.
The New York Times reported that Jose Peralta in his victory speech said that “our nightmare is over.” The Times also reported that Fight Back NY was involved in the effort to oust Monserrate and other senators who oppose same sex marriage; Monserrate was first on their list though. Jose Peralta and the gay community overcame many hurdles during this special election including some apparent campaign law violations by the Monserrate campaign and his strong support by religious figures whose failure to turn the tide for their candidate should raise concern for those opponents of marriage equality who court religious support like senator and Pentecostal minister Ruben Diaz. But that is all water under the bridge now. MENY reports that marriage is the key to more than 700 rights in New York State and anything less relegates many to second class citizenship. Their slogan is “It starts with you, say I do.”
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