2,500 Rally For  Same-Sex Marriage

 

An enthusiastic crowd thronged Athens Square Park in support of marriage equality.  Photos Jonathan Ellis

The group Western Queens for Marriage Equality co-sponsored a rally attended by close to 2,500 supporters on Sunday evening, May 31 in Athens Square Park in Astoria. Jeremiah Frei-Pearson, one of the group’s leaders, and Ron Zacchi, its executive director, conducted the proceedings, which urged state Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith to bring Governor David Paterson’s Marriage Equality bill to a vote before the state senate session ends on June 22, and pushing for both Smith and state Senator George Onorato to vote yes.
All of the speakers present gave strong reasons in favor of the bill. Father Louis Braxton of Carmen’s Place, a shelter for LBGT youth, reported that he and a group of older people met with Onorato and pleaded with him on behalf of the youth, stating that the young people Braxton works with deserve to get married and have families some day. He reminded the crowd that before mixed race marriage was legal, people justified the ban by questioning what would happen to the children of black and white couples, much as some do today the children of same-sex couples. Braxton’s response: “They grow up to be president!” Parents Lauren Marcowicz, and Caroline Peacock, on stage with their small daughter, pointed out that they, as a same-sex couple not allowed to marry in New York, are denied 1, 324 rights that legally married couples have. “The government is not protecting our welfare,” they declared. “We need the same protection as other married couples.”

Donna Lieberman, director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, agreed that the government shouldn’t say that some families matter and others don’t, and give some people the right to take care of their families and others not. The crowd cheered when she declared, “We want to speak truth to power. To Senator Onorato in his own district and Senator Smith in his own borough: it’s time to pass the Marriage Equality bill now!” She added, “We’re going to help them because we’re going to give them courage by calling and writing.” She then urged everyone to do so by visiting the NYCLU newly launched Web site, www.marriageny.com.

Brendan Fay, rally speaker and a founder of the Civil Marriage Trail Project, commented on the state of marriage equality in New York, stating, “New York does not ban same-sex marriage like most states do. Thousands of couples have legally married elsewhere; including my husband Tom (Moulton) and I, and we are recognized as married in New York for virtually all purposes, public and private. New York’s same-sex couples can now travel by Metro [North] to Connecticut, get married, and be recognized as such in New York state. Opposing Governor Paterson’s Marriage Equality bill simply results in the loss of business dollars to New York at a time when our fragile economy needs that $210 million a year that marriage equality would bring, as City Comptroller Thompson documented this week. Above all, not allowing same-sex civil marriages prevents those too frail or disabled or poor to travel across state lines. We can do better in New York and we will, starting this June! It’s time to pass the bill in Albany and open our marriage bureaus to same-sex couples.”

As the evening went on, the crowd continued to grow, red, heart-shaped balloons bobbing overhead and various hand-made signs expressing sentiments such as: “Onorato, we support your civil rights, why don’t you support ours?”, “Equal Rights for my Lesbian Mother”, “Astoria Supports Marriage Equality” and “Love Comes in all Forms”. There were no opposing factions in the crowd,  a mix of old, young, male, female, gay couples and straight, all showing their support. There were no opposing factions present.

City Councilmember Eric Gioia told the crowd: “This used to be known as the Archie Bunker district. Well, Archie Bunker doesn’t live here anymore!” He went on: “Equality and justice are for everyone. We don’t want anything special or different, we want equality…I will never support a bill that will make a priest or rabbi marry someone they don’t want to marry, but whoever goes to City Hall must be treated equally.” He quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “The arc of history bends towards justice and it’s up to us to put our shoulders into it and make it bend faster.”

Many of those present shared personal stories of meeting and sometimes circumventing discrimination. Members of Generation Q, an organization for LBGT youth that Onorato supports, and a variety of performers spoke, sang and danced in support of the Marriage Equality bill. Congressmember Carolyn Maloney sent a statement in support of the bill, and Councilmembers  John Liu and David Weprin and Assemblymember Michael Gianaris were represented. District Leader Daniel Dromm, running for City Council as well as teaching social studies at a public school, said that he teaches his students about being on the right side of history. “Today,” he declared, “we are on the right side of history!” Other candidates in attendance who are running for city office included Lynne Serpe, Jimmy Van Bramer, Deirdre Feerick, Steve Behar, Tom Cooke and Yetta Kurkland

The rally was sponsored by a coalition of groups including Western Queens for Marriage Equality, Marriage Equality New York, Democracy for New York City, the New York Civil Liberties Union, Long Island City Alliance, New York State Young Democrats, Queens County Young Democrats, NewYorkEquality.com, West Queens Greens, the Jewish Alliance for Change, IntegrityNYC, Broadway Impact, Civil Rights Front, The Power, Civil Marriage Trail Project, OUT Astoria, Astorians United Against Hate Crimes and Astorians United for Peace and Justice.