Is Thomas Duane, the gay Democratic New York State senator trying to push through same-sex marriage legislation, about to join others in jumping ship to join with Republicans? And could that actually be good for gay rights?
In looking how the departure of Sens. Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens from the Dems to Repubs could affect the marriage debate, we didn’t imagine a possible jump from Sen. Duane to be a factor.
But speculation grows that Duane (pictured, with partner partner Louis Webre), furious with his fellow Dems for refusing to pass marriage legislation, may join the other party, giving more support to the ouster of Sen. Malcolm Smith as majority leader (and giving Republican Sen. Dean Skelos the post). On the record, Duane will only say, “I am not considering anything but trying to get passed all the legislation I’ve spent my whole life fighting for.”
Duane, however, has an ally among the Dems who already switched: Espada is also pro-marriage equality. And given the Senate’s history of using marriage as a bargaining chip for political power, it’s not impossible to think Duane (or other senators, including, perhaps, Espada) could give his allegiance to Republicans in exchange for bringing the marriage bill to a vote — and with GOP support.
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Which begs the question: What if Democrats, having expired their five months of power (their first in forty years), failed to pass gay marriage — and Republicans did it? As social conservatism among Republicans slides out of favor with more emphasis on fiscal conservatism, it’s a whole new ballgame that, quite possibly, could have GOP lawmakers backing New York as the seventh state for same-sex marriage.
(Photo: Oliver62)
DaveO
I fail to see why this would be surprising. As long as gays don’t have full equal rights, the liberals will just use their “support” of gays as a way to browbeat us into supporting them. If they ever delivered, then we’d be free to consider what might be in our best interests with respect to other issues, and might not support the Democratic party. Can’t have that.
THey see what’s happened in the Netherlands. Gays largely got their full agenda passed, and are now voting 2-1 for the conservative parties.
Dan
Obama has let us down. On gay issues he’s to the right of Dick Fricking Cheney.
I’m not a single-issue voter but the time has come to make this a priority. Thanks Tom Duane and good luck.
Anarchos
Albany is such a fucking disgrace.
Orpheus_lost
As a life long Democratic voter, I hope he does jump over to the GOP. If Democrats can’t – or won’t – work on our behalf then its time to find a party with the backbone to stand up for us. If the Republicans in New York want to be that party then I’m all for it.
Andy
New York, more than most other states, is actually pretty ripe for party realignment in this regard. New York republicans are not particularly socially conservative, and not as dominated by the evangelical movement as the rest of the country. The New York conservative party is increasingly obsolete. Conversely, many democratic strongholds are fiercely religious and anti-gay.
New York City’s “independent” mayor who was initially elected as a republican is a strong support of marriage equality. Joe Bruno, the Republican former Senate Majority Leader, now supports marriage equality. Ruben Diaz, Shirley Huntley, and George Onorato, all democratic state senators, are among the most vocal foes of same sex marriage, and John Sampson, who is likely to succeed Malcolm Smith as leader of the democratic caucus, is only on the record as “undecided.”
Espada is a crook, but if he and the GOP help Tom Duane pass the marriage bill, I don’t doubt the many LGBT New Yorkers would reevaluate their party alliances. I have always strongly identified with the democratic party, but I fully support Tom Duane doing anything in his power to ensure the passage of the marriage equality bill. If the democrats stand in his way, then I may have to reconsider my support for a party that ultimately doesn’t support me.
The Gay Numbers
Party of the issue is that many Democrats, including way too many activist if you blog with them, think they can just push gay civil rights off indefinitely. They do not understand that there is a seachange occuring. It is not just with Obama you see the apologists making statements that are based on past realities rather than preset ones. Andy, therefore, gets it right. You can see the bias in the reporting on the issue on the Democratic blogs. “Oh this probably means marriage equality is dead” rather than understanding it means that the political coalitions are starting to reallign in small unseen ways because the Democrats refuse to live up to their progressive roots.
Puddy Katz
Duane’s a political whore, I’m not sure the Republicans would want him.
Strepsi
I just clicked through because of the great picture.
That “liberal” New York and L.A. — that religio-conservatives consider the Sodom and Gomorrah of the U.S. — have no legal gay marriage is a disgrace to themselves, liberals, city-dwellers, and queers. Come on!
Captain Freedom
I really want to vote Republican. I do! I am a 100% economic conservative who believes in flat taxes, end to welfare, school choice, business freedom, end to regulations, end to tobacco/alcohol regulations, and destroy the debt! I at heart am a Ron Paul libertarian.
Unfortunately it’s hard to do when that party hates your guts. However, I think we could be in the middle of a political seismic shift as seen in the 60s. Before the 1960s Democrats were the racists and Republicans were the less racist. However, after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 the Democrats who voted against it became Republicans and the GOP became the racist Party.
I could see a role-reversal happening here. If the GOP-majority passes this bill it would be the ultimate FUCK YOU to the Democrats both in New York and nationally. It would also signify the end of social conservatives backing the GOP for years to come in New York and possibly elsewhere. I could see America becoming a two-party country at some point with the Fascistcrats (Democrats) who like to tax everything and ban fatty foods while you have the GOP who is the Barry Goldwater party of freedom once again.
jason
New York is an absolute disgrace when it comes to gay rights.
New York’s gay community has labored under the illusion that Greenwich Village is representative of New York. Maybe they need to get out more. Get out into the mainstream and start challenging homophobia there. Greenwich Village is an illusion.
Tony
I think we should only support candidates who support full equality. We should not blindly support the Dems as many are more antigay than Republicans. Time to reevaluate our party loyalty.
Bitch, please!
@ JASON: My thoughts eaxctly. But not all gays are welcome even in the gay ghettos. With the exposure to the varieties of people that is possible in NY, you would think that there would be a more tolerant group of people living there. But in reality there are some of the most hateful and bigoted gays living in NY. That is so odd, seeing that we are a hated-upon group ourselves. But many of the queers there pass the hate down without a thought or care, and with total disdain to boot.
Isaac
Who knows, maybe Republicans will get back into the game of supporting civil rights like they did with slavery, racial integration, etc. Obviously, Democrats just use the GLBT community(though there are some sincere ones out there, but not many) as a political scapegoat, IMHO.
Rick Rummings
I need to find a party. I not willing to go along with the gay thing. Anyone know of a party that wont sell out for power? Where does a roman catholic go from here?
Ben
None of it will matter if the Democrats keep the Senate locked, or if they boycott sessions of the Senate under its new leadership. The body will either lack a quorum, or there simply won’t be enough yes votes to pass gay marriage, unless an actual majority of the Republican caucus votes in favor. I can see some GOP senators voting yes on gay marriage, but not the 16 or 17 they’d need.
LoveMoby
@Orpheus_lost: I couldnt agree with you more however are the Repubs REALLY going to fight for us? I think the Dems take us for granted WAY too much but all Ive seen from the Repubs when it comes to our community is hate and more hate.
hephaestion
Don’t try this at home… if you don’t live in New York.
New York is another country. This would not work in any other state.
Rain
Jason, you OBVIOUSLY do not live in my city. Take it from a Gay, native New Yorker:
The Vill hasn’t been Gay in a generation. We have seven (yes, count them…7) Gay neighborhoods in New York.
They are:
Chelsea
Jackson Heights
Park Slope-Brooklyn Heights
Parkchester
Astoria-Long Island City
Greenwich Village started to re-gentrify over to hets in the mid 1980s at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
Maybe you should get out more.
Rain
hephaestion would you by any chance be my beautiful Canadian friend? If you are, you know who this is.
LOL…
Rain
Oh and bitch…
Yes, I agree that there is a level of bigotry within the LGBT community in New York that is unacceptable. But honestly, do Gays live in a vacuum? There is just as much intolerance and bigotry in the African-American community. Now, preach to them about bigotry and intolerance.
Mind you, like I once posted on Gay Republic, much of the bigotry that is now found in NYC’s Gay community is not native. It’s been imported since the 1980s by Gays from other parts of the U.S. who inundated my city like a plague of locusts during the Wall Street boom of that decade. These “guppies”, as they were called, were totally unprepared and ill-equipped to deal with the inclusive Gay community they found here. That Gay community was composed of people like myself, native New Yorkers who had lived their whole lives here and had come out here. We had relatively little problems with race and ethnicity within the native elements of the Gay community. Just look at the main protagonists of the Stonewall Rebellion. Do you know who Sylvia Rivera was? I do. Most non-New York Gays don’t. But she and many others like her made that night a memorable one.
Bitch, please…read history.
Rain
@Andy…
You are more than right. The New York Conservative party is just a tag line on election day. They through their support behind either Dems or Reps, depending on the issues at hand just so they can qualify for public financing during the next round of elections. They are no longer a political party in New York, but a political interest group.
Rain
Oh, and just for general clarification and edification…our “independent mayor who was initially elected as a republican” had been a life-long democrat. He only switched parties so he could run against the democrat’s candidate, Fernando Ferrer.
wunderlusting
@Rain: Parkchester is a gay friendly community? this is news to me.
– native queer bronxite