NY'S GAY MARRIAGE DISGRACE
by Kristin Davis



Yesterday, the New York State Senate squashed a bill that would legalize gay marriage.  This virtually ensures that this issue is dead until new legislature is installed in 2011.

I am in favor of personal freedom. I believe that gay marriage is a matter of equality. I believe that people regardless of race or gender should be able to marry if they chose to do so. If all people are created equal, shouldn’t we be able to marry whomever we want as long as it’s consensual?

The concept of civil unions sound fair but it's "separate but equal" and that's unconstitutional which makes gays and lesbians second-class citizens. Nothing but full marriage equality fulfills the promise of the United States Constitution.

That is part of what makes America great. We have personal freedoms not afforded in other countries – freedom of speech, freedom to vote and question our government, freedom to choose…and I believe this includes the freedom to love.

Is individual freedom important to you? It is our responsibility as citizens to look out for our individual freedoms and to protect them. It is our duty to speak up for those whose voices cannot be heard.

New York’s inability to pass a bill to address gay marriage is a defeat to everyone who lives in this great state.  Legislators blame the bad economy and say that their time is better spent focused on reducing the state’s spending. If that’s the case then lets legalize the world’s oldest profession and start regulating and taxing it to generate revenue. How much money would that bring in to our state?

It’s a time for equality. Its time to acknowledge that women should be afforded equal rights and be able to chose what they do with their bodies. Its time to acknowledge that marriage is a matter of love and should be afforded equally to everyone. And it’s a time to look for new ways to address fiscal issues and stop using the recession as New York's shortfall.