Gay, Gay Marriage, Politics

Could the Anti-Marriage-Equality People Please Make Up Their Minds?

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For years, the anti-gay-marriage crowd has been railing against unelected judges “imposing” marriage equality on a people not yet ready for social progress. But New York’s gay marriage bill was approved by the state legislature and signed by the governor last month, and marriages began yesterday. As we mentioned in Morning Docket, it was really beautiful here in the city this weekend. The new law appeared to be quite popular.

And so, of course, the anti-marriage-equality people now want judges — yes, judges — to interfere in the political process, and put a stop to all these people walking around and loving each other….

The New York Daily News describes the latest attempt to thwart marriage equality:

Twenty four hours after New York’s landmark same sex marriage law went into effect, the anti-gay-marriage group New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms today has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn it.

The group, led by the Rev. Jason J. McGuire, claims that the state Senate, in adopting the legislation, violated the state’s Open Meetings Law by closing off the Senate galleries and lobby; and by holding closed door meetings with Mayor Bloomberg and others who backed the law.

But that’s only one part of the plan to defeat gay marriage. Towleroad explains the National Organization for Marriage’s three-step plan:

PHASE 1: Elect pro-marriage majorities next November that will approve a marriage amendment in both the Assembly and Senate during the 2013 legislative session.

PHASE 2: Protect pro-marriage candidates in the 2014 elections, so that the amendment can receive final legislative approval in the 2015 legislative session.

PHASE 3: Successfully pass the ballot measure when it goes before voters in November 2015.

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I almost feel bad for these guys. It must have been so much easier when “gross, two dudes kissing” was the only argument they needed.

Some opponents of gay marriage want the issue to be put up for a voter referendum. So if I’m getting this right, anti-marriage-equality people don’t like who the voters voted for, so they want to put the whole thing to a popular vote. But “voter referendum” is to “democracy” as “rectum” is to “human.” It’s part of the system, but civilized people try not to talk about it since it smells like s**t.

And as long as the anti-marriage crowd wants to get all legal, somebody should tell them that New York State does not have an initiative-and-referendum process. We New Yorkers aren’t like the wild heathens out in California.

New York Governor (and 2016 front runner?) Andrew Cuomo is all too happy to remind people of the law. His spokesman, Josh Vlasto, had this response to the lawsuit: “The plaintiffs lack a basic understanding of the laws of the state of New York. The suit is without merit.”

The anti-marriage people are really up against it. Rights, once granted, are hard to get rid of.

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Anti-Gay Marriage Group Files Legal Challenge to New York’s Law [New York Daily News]
NOM Posts Plan to Reverse Marriage Equality in New York [Towleroad]

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