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Newspaper Asks Why All Nine of the State Senators From Long Island Voted Against LGBT Rights

Posted July 5, 2011 by Ted Hesson
Categories: LGBT

On the eve of the vote for marriage equality in New York State, I posted a column explaining how the state senators from Long Island could help make the historic LGBT-rights legislation a reality. As it turns out, all nine of those state senators voted against the bill.

It passed anyway.

After the vote, our blogger Pat Young asked if Long Island is the “last refuge for homophobes,” or if those state senators are just out of touch.

A recent article in the Long Island Press asks Suffolk County Legislator Jon Cooper—Long Island’s first openly gay elected official—about the vote:

All nine—the Island’s entire GOP state Senate delegation−voted against Cuomo’s proposal last Friday night. For Cooper, the apparent hypocrisy has lost its sting now that marriage equality for same-sex couples has become law in New York.

“As far as I’m concerned it doesn’t matter anymore!” Cooper tells the Press. “Those nine senators are going to have to justify to their grandchildren someday their vote against equality. But that’s for them to live with.”

The article also cites David Kilmnick, the CEO of the Long Island GLBT Community Center, saying that Kilmnick will launch a campaign next year to “dump Long Island’s nine.”

Image courtesy of philippe leroyer via Flickr.

Tags : david kilmnick, glbt, jon cooper, lgbt, lgbt rights, long island press, marriage equality, new york, state senators

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