Sweet, the Senator pulled his head out of his ass.

The step-son definitely deserves the shout-out. And I hope the (hopefully no longer smoking) young lady you mentioned will soon see her parents again, because they changed.

I was actually thinking about that young man today, and hoping that he had reached out to Dorothy and Sen. Kruger. Or that she called her nephew, or whatever it took to put that family back together, now that the obstacle is gone.

The next time someone says "one person's actions can't change anything," point to that guy, the nephew who swayed a senator to legalize marriage equality for New York Fucking State.

I'd rather politicians vote in favor of social justice because they believe in it, and not because it will ameliorate family strife back at home.

But a just vote is better than an oppressive vote no matter what the reason, so whatever works.

"The gay nephew of the woman he lives with"? I guess he couldn't have been against gay marriage for religious reasons, then, since he obviously thinks sex outside of marriage is A-OK.

"She told me, tearfully, that her parents had thrown her out and they were refusing to see her until she "changed." I wish you could've seen the look on her face when I told her to tell her parents that they had it backward: she wasn't going to see them until they changed. She laughed, she hugged me, and she said that she'd never thought of it that way. I told her to start thinking of it that way."

This is awesome!

That's some powerful motivation. It reminds me of something else you wrote (or maybe said on a podcast) about how politicians should be wondering what their grandkids will think about them when they come home for holidays. The youngest generation, and those coming up are going to have increasingly dimmer opinions of homophobic bigots.

@3 - Except having a family member come out to you is a great way to start believing in equality. A lot of the opposition to gay marriage stems from wrongheaded assumptions about GLBT folks. Having a family member come out to you forces you to reconsider those assumptions.

From the end of that NYT article:

There, in a speech the public would never hear, [Cuomo] offered his most direct and impassioned case for allowing gays to wed. Gay couples, he said, wanted recognition from the state that they were no different from the [Republican] lawmakers in the room. “Their love is worth the same as your love,” Mr. Cuomo said, according to someone who heard him. “Their partnership is worth the same as your partnership. And they are equal in your eyes to you. That is the driving issue.”

Dan, was so proud to see you & Terry as grand marshals. Even wore my old "envy... slog... pride" shirt, but you were looking toward the other side of the street. I trust you had a great time here.

I hope we don't have to wait for Malia or Natasha to come out for Obama to finish evolving.

I hope we don't need to wait until Malia or Natasha come out for Obama to "evolve".

She told me, tearfully, that her parents had thrown her out and they were refusing to see her until she "changed."

How truly sad, that parents would treat a child this way. I wonder if the parents are religious.

Emotional blackmail IS a two way street, kids.

And, "divorcing" shit head relatives for ANY valid reason, is always a good idea. Why put up with racist Uncle Sam or homophobic Grandma Mary just because they're family? You pick your friends; why can't you pick your relatives? Hang out and have meaningful relationships with the relatives that treat you with love and respect.

Mr. Savage is absolutely correct. I walked away from bigotry and abuse over thirty years ago and haven't looked back. Sometimes the only commonality shared with so-called family is genetic material. In these instances, true liberation is the love and support found in chosen relations. Life is both too short and precious to be wasted on the ignorant and incapable--in this instance, those unable or unwilling to accept you for who and what you are.

Dan, it's quite possible that the "Senator's girlfriend's nephew" is in fact the Senator himself. See http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2011/03/s… , for example.

As an advice columnist, I'm sure you've seen this tactic before :-)

On the other hand, I'm happy to get a vote any way we can ... just glad the margin wasn't a single senator!

What the nephew did feels like emotional blackmail, but he had every right to do it and the stakes were real and high.

I've been struggling with this issue on a personal level - My parents are christians and believe that being gay is a sin. Dad made a trip to Seattle to visit me a while back and asked me not to show affection to my boyfriend. I told them how it made me feel and the trip was postponed but the issue was never resolved. It's gotten to where it's ignored but it is still in the back of my mind. He and my mother are very respectful to my boyfriend and my dad especially really likes him, but he is unwavering on the issue. I love my parents and I think that I can change their minds not by cutting them off but by showing them the love he and I have for each other. On the other hand, cutting them off would be very painful for me because other than this issue, I am very close to my parents. But now I'm beginning to think it's what needs to be done.

Speaking of unsung heroes...upstate, y'all.

http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment…

This whole premise is interesting. I stopped talking to a cousin of mine after the Prop. 8 decision out here in California. She explained that she had voted yes against my right to marry. It was a whole 2 years before we spoke again. She apologized and said that she was wrong. I think it took the reality of the loss of someone (me) of value in her life for her to really get it.

Wait!! This senator " lives" with a woman??!! As in "living in sin?" how come these Bible-bangers who are " defending " marriage never address hetero's who are clearly in contempt of this "sacred institution" by sinful co-habitation !?? Praise the Lord. Heh,heh.