Gay New Yorkers take on Archbishop Timothy Dolan in rally to support same-sex ma
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Jen Cinclair (wedding dress) with her girlfriend of 10 years, Trin Bostick (l.) during a gay rights rally.
Gay New Yorkers came out in droves Sunday to rally in support of same-sex marriage, as Archbishop Timothy Dolan prayed the bill hits a dead end in Albany.
More than 300 protesters filled Union Square, calling on the Senate to pass the marriage bill when lawmakers return to Albany Monday. Many waved rainbow-striped flags or carried signs reading, "God made us queer" and "Marriage Equality Now!"
"I've been with my partner for 10 years," said Jen Cinclair, 31, a pastry chef from Chinatown who joined the rally in Union Square dressed in white and wearing a bridal veil. "We registered as domestic partners two years ago," Cinclair said. "Now we want the rights."
Placards listed Sen. Majority Leader Dean Skelos' phone number - and organizers urged people to call the Republican powerbroker and demand he introduce the gay marriage bill.
"If I'm going to pay equal taxes and I'm going to obey equal laws, I want equal rights," said actor Daniel Bracciale.
Blocks away, crowds gathered at the NY Latinos United for Marriage Equality rally at the LGBT Community Center on W.13th St. "There has been one very anti-gay pastor who has been speaking against gay marriage. We are here to say he doesn't represent Latinos," said Pedro Serrano, of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, about Sen. Reuben Diaz Sr., a fierce opponent of gay marriage.
The protests came as the bill appeared one vote shy of the 32 it needs to pass the Senate, with several GOP senators either undeclared or undecided. The bill passed the Assembly last week.
A sizable and impatient crowd gathered in Union Square to rally and march to Stonewall Bar demanding that today be the last day of marriage inequality in New York State. (Mariela Lombard for News)
Democratic state Sen. Tom Duane told supporters that "anything can happen."
"If Lady Gaga can call me, you can call your senators," Duane said of a call from the pop goddess.
Dolan, the leader of 2 million Catholics, used his pulpit to pray "that marriage stays between a man and a woman in the state of New York" - a view that got mixed reviews from worshipers at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Megan Seaman, 18, who was visiting from Cleveland, said she thought Dolan's prayer was inappropriate. "Maybe there were gay people in the church. That's offensive," said Seaman, who has plans to study at Cornell University in the fall.But George and Amy Tellam, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., attending the Mass with their four children, said they agreed with Dolan. "We're 100% behind him. Like he said, it's the foundation of our beliefs," George Tellam said.
Amy Tellam added: "We're all for a union and everyone is free to love whoever they want, but marriage is a sacrament between a man and a woman."
Read more: hXXp://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/06/20/2011-06-20_gay_new_yorkers_take_on_archbishop_timothy_dolan_in_rally_to_support_samesex_mar.html#ixzz1PpZYfJQF
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i wonder why some people are hellbent on us not having the same rights as they do. if for the visitation rights alone, i would think that most of the legislators will understand that we're more than just boyfriends, we're partners. and i would definitely call my partner my next of kin. why can't people understand that?
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i wonder why some people are hellbent on us not having the same rights as they do. if for the visitation rights alone, i would think that most of the legislators will understand that we're more than just boyfriends, we're partners. and i would definitely call my partner my next of kin. why can't people understand that?
Sadly, most people (especially the uneducated or under-educated) are afraid of things that they are ignorant[nb]Ignorance is the lack of education or knowledge of a particular subject.[/nb] about. This is a big part of why homophobia is most often found in males, and is not found anywhere near as frequently in females.
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even worse when they want to impose their ideas on others. it's notlike we're trying to make anyone gay, right?
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Hmmm… Maybe we should start a "straight cure" program and see how well that flies in society :lolp: