Diane Vera

This past Sunday, June 28, I participated in the Gay Pride parade in Manhattan, as I like to do every year. This is a huge annual event, with tens of thousands of people marching.

( Some details of my participation, including a flyer I distributed )

There was a small handful of counter-demonstrators at the traditional barricaded place allotted to them on one of the side streets across Fifth Avenue from St. Patrick's Cathedral. ( Details about the counter-demonstrators )

As usual, there were quite a few liberal Christian religious groups marching in the parade. There were no Pagan groups, as there have not been for the past few years. There used to be a small group called "Witches and Pagans for Gay Rights," which marched every year. But not anymore -- even though there are some Pagan groups that meet at the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan.

( Details on Pagan groups meeting regularly at the LGBT Center )

( Some other groups meeting regularly at the Center, of possible interest to NYARBB )

We shouldn't jump to conclusions as to what the recent power play in the NY State Senate means for same-sex marriage, according to James Withers of 365Gay.com, in What will happen now to marriage in New York?, June 9, 2009. He points out that, contrary to the conclusions some gay bloggers have jumpet to, Pedro Espada Jr. (State Senator from the Bronx) has not only promised to vote "Yes" on marriage equality but is one of the co-sponsors of the marriage equality bill, according to page 2 of the New York Times story G.O.P. Regains Control of New York State Senate by Danny Hakim and Jeremy W. Peters, June 8, 2009.

Even better news: New Senate President Wants Vote on Same-Sex Marriage by Danny Hakim, New York Times City Room Blog, June 9, 2009

( Some recent blog posts, on otherwise worthwhile gay blogs, that jumped to wrong conclusions )

Will the marriage equality bill pass the NY State Senate? That's still very iffy. Meanwhile, the NY State Senate is in a procedural uproar, according to a news story today, State Senate GOP Seizes Control In Political Coup, NY1, June 8, 2009.

Below are more news stories. As usual, I've bolded some who/what/when/where details about the religious right wing that I want to research further.

( Recent news stories about the New York marriage equality bill ) ( News stories about the victory in New Hampshire ) ( News stories about yesterday's Gay Pride parade in Queens ) ( Miscellaneous news stories )

Looks like the religious right wing has succeeded in stalling the same-sex marriage bill in the NY State Senate.

Below are some news stories from June 1. (I've bolded some who/what/when/where details that I should research further later.)

( News stories from June 1 )

And now for some more recent news stories on same-sex marriage, mentioning various religious right wing groups. Some stories from yesterday, June 3:

( News stories from June 3 )

And now for some news stories from today, June 4:

( News stories from June 4 )

On Friday I found a bunch of recent news stories about the same-sex marriage issue. One of the stories inspired me to write this NYARBB blog post, which I may also use as the beginning of a NYARBB pamphlet to be distributed at the Queens Gay Pride march.

( The recent news stories )

Here is a collection of quotes by Maggie Gallagher. From it, I found a bunch of earlier news stories.

( Some of those earlier stories )

Here in New York State, a marriage equality bill has been passed overwhelmingly in the State Assembly, but we're now waiting for the State Senate, where it will be a tighter race.

( Daily News story about state senators, from Queens, who oppose marriage equality )

The Daily News story mentions that there will be a pro-marriage-equality rally in Astoria on Sunday. I found no further information about the rally via Google News.

( CBS News story about poll results showing increased support for same-sex marriage )

On Sunday, May 17, there were rallies in Manhattan on both sides of the same-sex marriage issue.

( Links to news stories about the rallies )

What's noteworthy here is the leading role of Hispanic Pentecostals. In years past, here in New York City, our local religious right wing consisted primarily of the Catholic hierarchy plus ultra-Orthodox Jews. Pentecostals and other Protestant evangelicals did not play a major political role around here, as far as I could tell. That seems to be changing.

An even more ominous new (as far as I am aware) development is the direct involvement of a Democratic politician, State Senator Rubén Díaz Sr. in organizing an anti-gay rally. Politicians, even Republican ones, don't usually take a direct leadership role in activist organizing for or against specific political causes. Usually they'll only lend their name to a cause that's already well-organized and popular among their constituents. Evidently there must be lots of well-organized homophobia in Rubén Díaz's neck of the woods.

( P.S., May 19, 2009: Religious right wing in Nassau County )

Yay! It passed the Assembly. Now it's the State Senate's turn. And that is still quite iffy, even though Democrats are now a majority.

( Links to news stories )

The New York State same-sex marriage bill is A07732 in the State Assembly and S4401 in the State Senate. You can look up your State Assembly member here and your State Senator here. Please call your Assembly member TODAY if you have not done so already -- the bill is getting voted on today.

( Links to more information about the bill )

As for rallies here in New York City, I'll post info on the message board of NYARBB's Meetup site, as I come across it. The next rally I know of is on May 17. (Alas, I won't be able to attend.)

Last month, New Governor David Paterson announced he would introduce a bill in the state legislature to legalize same-sex marriage here in New York State. Some relevant news stories:

• New York governor to push same-sex marriage bill by Laurie Segall, CNN, Thu April 16, 2009


• Paterson Unveils Same-Sex Marriage Bill by Jeremy W. Peters AND Sewell Chan, New York Times City Room blog post, April 16, 2009


• NY governor introduces bill to allow same-sex marriage by Michael Virtanen, Associated Press, Gay & Lesbian Times (San Diego, CA), Thursday, 23-Apr-2009

The latter article mentions two of the main opponents of same-sex marriage: (1) State Senator Rubén Díaz Sr., who is also pastor of the (Pentecostal) Christian Community Neighborhood Church in the Bronx, and (2) the new Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

( More about Rubén Díaz and other opponents of same-sex marriage in New York )

( Díaz's forthcoming protest, and a pro-gay counterdemonstration )

( More about same-sex marriage in general )

A while back I noticed a trend, among conservative and traditionalist Catholics, to blame the clergy pedophilia scandals on an alleged conspiracy by Satanists to infiltrate the Catholic hierarchy. For more about this, see my article The "Satanic Ritual Abuse" scare -- it's BAACK! The alleged conspiracy of "Satanic pedophiles" in the Catholic clergy.

Now it seems that this same alleged Satanist conspiracy is being blamed for clargy sex scandals involving adults too. Not only that, but one priest has even used this claim in an attempt to get himself off the hook.

( Read more )

Thanks to Bialogue for calling my attention to the upcoming U.S. Senate confirmation hearings for James R. Holsinger, recently nominated by President Bush to be the new U.S. Surgeon General. This guy apparently has a history of being rather homophobic and promoting an "ex-gay" ministry. Senator Hillary Clinton, from New York, is on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which will hold the hearings sometime in the near future.

( Read more )