Why New York should have voted for marriage equality

Just yesterday, the New York State Senate voted down a same-sex marriage bill 38-24. As you can expect, whilst some Democrats said “nay”, every single Republican voted against marriage equality for LGBT people. Sen. Diane Savino (D-NY) truly said it better than I or most people could ever hope to when she gave her remarks on the debate before her vote (“aye”). This is a speech that every American citizen (and, to a somewhat lesser extent, any citizen from any country that doesn’t yet allow same-sex marriage) should hear; hell, it ought to be made mandatory for all I care.

The best part of it all is near the end when she rails against what has been done to marriage these days, especially with such shameless crap as the Wedding Channel, The Bachelor, and etc. They have turned an institution intended to unite two people in love, two soul-mates, into nothing but bastardized and commercialized hogwash. It’s disgusting, and Savino conveys the message with a force and clarity like few can.

It’s still a very sad day for LGBT people (and anyone who vies for social equality) in New York, but keep in mind: only this one battle has been lost. The war shall never end until equality is at hand for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and anything else. There are simply no valid arguments of any kind against gay marriage. None at all. There never have been. The sooner everyone understands this, the better, for all.

(via Bad Astronomy)
Technorati tags: Diane Savino · gay marriage · same-sex marriage · speeches