"And Justice For All" - New York Legalizes Same Sex Marriage

Great news - about time!

Stewart I am so proud to be an American today!!!

I happy to be an American and a Native New Yorker.  Now all we need is for every other state to follow along.

I've always been proud to be a New Yorker and proud that freedom of religion and tolerance began here as the Dutch colony New Amsterdam 400 years ago. New Yorkers are a tolerant people. We tolerate Christianity and Catholic Archbishops and their medieval beliefs. That is their choice to believe but our country and NY as one of the original colonies and battlefields during the revolutionary war revolted against Kings and Queens and their churches and doctrines.

Only through separation of church and state can all citizens enjoy Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

I Love New York!

Stewart,  I have read J. Philip's and Karen Anne's post (and video) as well and I think all of you have done an excellent job of stating the obvious...this is simply the right thing to do.  Like others, I cannot figure out how CA (of all states) would not be on board with legalizing marriage for all people.  Perhaps the NY bill will wake up the legislators...and/or shame them into action.

Stewart, Reading all of the comments to your blog, J. Phillip's and Karen-Anne's fills me with such joy and hope that the nation will follow suit...within my lifetime.  I am enheartened to know that there are so many open-minded and loving individuals willing to publicly support the rights of all people to legally marry and celebrate openly their long time commitments to each other.

It seems a shame to leave this up to individual states, this should be a nationally recognized right.  I'm also suggesting this post for a featured article. Thanks. 

Eventually, it seems as though most social issues regarding equality for all in our country find a way to make it over time.  Living free is what led the pilgrims to the new world as well as many many immigrants.  Some want marriage, some want speech, some want guns, some want other forms of Liberty.  Agree or Disagree with the issue at hand, but you have to love the country we live in because it offers freedom, liberty and the opportunity to support individual views as part of the process of government.  Regardless of how I feel about any one issue...  I love the United States of America!!

Very sad. I am so disappointed in this court ruling.

"Then why are you reading this blog and commenting on it?" you may ask. It is because I subscribe to the "L.A. Area" group which the group moderator, Stewart Penn, uses shamelessly to promote his political agenda.

It's not appropriate, and yes I've asked him to stop posting his pro-homosexual-agenda on this REAL ESTATE blog. I have reached out to Stewart several times, as I do enjoy his L.A. and California-area postings, and asked him to stop blasting these types of emails to the group. In fact, I wouldn't even know about this blog, if he didn't send out a blast to all members.

I thought this was supposed to be about "L.A. Area".... is that synonymous with "gay agenda"?!?!  Stewart, please try to stick to real estate, housing, and business topics.

Hmm, 

Raving Fans of Gay Marriage...think about this...

OK, so gays from around the country flock to ny to get "married"...so the same gay couple returns to California, Maine, Ohio or 40 other states in the Union, adopt children, buy a home together and intend to live happily ever after...but there is trouble in the relationship, mortgage payments adjust, home values drop, job loss, "wandering eye", traditional struggles...  and now divorce is imminent...

The gay marriage is over and now both parties have to agree to "move" to the state of ny or another "gay marriage" state to get a gay marriage divorce because the state of California, Maine, Ohio or 40 other States do not recoginize "Gay Marriage" if things go south...

Be careful what you wish for... sounds silly...but it's reality!

A true nightmare for all parties.

A "realist" point of view!  :)

Regina...you go girl!  Keep this stuff off AR.

Best,

Kris

Court Ruling? It wasn't a court ruling. It was a bill that passed the state assembly by a vote and then by a vote in the state senate and signed by the Governor. It is the Law!

Regina in #50:  This was not a court ruling.  Both houses of the New York State Legislature... the State Assembly, and the State Senate... passed this law... and Governor Cuomo signed it.  And... voting for the law... were BOTH Democrats and Republicans... elected by the citizens of New York.  So... you cannot presume to "blame" this law on a court ruling.

You seemed surprised and upset when you said that the Moderator of the "L.A. Area" group, Stewart Penn, "shamelessly" used this post and this group... to promote his political agenda. 

Of course, he does it "shamelessly."  What in the world is there to be ashamed about ?  Nothing.

Does Stewart have an agenda ?  Of course he does.  Silly him... he wants to be treated equally.  Marriage Equality.  In the State of New York... each person can now choose to marry the "love of their life."  That... is marriage equality.  And that choice is no longer stifled by some religious belief from before the Middle Ages.

This is America.  The land of the free.  With Liberty and Justice... for all.  It does not say... with Liberty and Justice for heterosexuals only.

Also... apparently you have misunderstood some things about Active Rain.  Active Rain is NOT only a forum for real estate textbook posts... or posts about listings, closings, buyer qualifications and such.  Real Estate... just like most everything else in life... is about Relationships... and the people we have them with.  And if you want to relate that to real estate... well... opposite-sex married couples buy and sell homes, and same-sex couples buy and sell homes.

Ummm... you mentioned "gay agenda."  If I may assume you are not a lesbian, but a heterosexual woman... I will ask you a question.  Do you have a heterosexual agenda ?  Or, if you are right-handed... do you have a right-handed agenda ?  I see from your picture you have red hair.  Do you have a "red-haired" agenda ?  Sounds silly, doesn't it ?

Just as having red hair does not "define" a person... being a gay person or a lesbian person does not "define" a person either.  It is simply one "attribute" of a person.  It is one of many, many things that... when taken as a whole... defines that person.

The only item that I would think all gay and lesbian people have in common... is that they want to be treated fairly.  They want to be treated... "just like everyone else."  Why... is that too much to ask?

This law in New York... affects nobody else but gay and lesbian New Yorkers.  And... once California rids itself of that silly Prop 8 thing you got going on out there... then everyone in California will be free to marry the person of their choice.

And when that happens... and it WILL happen... that will not affect you one little bit.  You may not like it, or you may not agree with it... but it in no way whatsoever will touch your ability to marry the person of your choice.

You see... laws like this do not force anything on anyone.  Nothing.  And this New York law only recognizes a right that New Yorkers actually were entitled to all along.  It's just that that right... up until this law was passed... was being denied to them.  This law fixed that.

America is not a country that enforces the biblical, or any other holy book's beliefs on anyone.  As I am sure you know... there have been several states that have talked about passing laws that will not allow the Islamic Shari'a Law to be forced, or enforced upon anyone.  It is a religious code... taken from the faith and the holy book of Islam.

The Bible is the holy book of Christianity.  Cool.  It contains many of the beliefs that many christians adhere to.  That is also fine.  But... just as the Islamic Shari'a law should NOT have any bearing on the laws of this country... neither should any Christian feel that their beliefs should be FORCED upon anyone else.  Believe it... fine.  Force it on others... No Ma'am !

Should the L.A. Area group exclude from it's topics posts about same-sex "Relationships ?"  Absolutely not.

There is only one "agenda" here.  Equality for ALL citizens.  If you do not believe that two women should marry... then don't marry one.  Was that so hard ?

Keep it up, Stewart. I haven't spent a lot of time on Active Rain lately because it's not working well with Internet Explorer. When I post, I have to make a special trip to Firefox.

By the way, we just went through an extended estate-planning process. The first since our California marriage three years ago. All our real estate, previously held as joint tenants, is now in a community property deed that specifically recites that if for any reason the CP is held invalid under AZ law, the joint tenancy is reaffirmed. Next beneficiary deed to our family trust. It's all more complicated and more expensive than for hetero couples and still doesn't automatically protect us from tax breaks they get or entitle us to social security survivor benefits. Let them keep their religion - get it out of our civil society!

This is indeed great news. I can only hope that Utah one day follows NY's example. Love the picture in comment #43.

Just found this posting.

A loving commitment is worthy of the same benefits of marriage.

As a straight man I could never understand how someone of the opposite sex is instantly eligible for benefits when a same sex couple of 30 years are legally not connected and recieve no legal recognitions.

Forget the whole "God" thing and just do the "Good" thing, let people love who they want. Why should that be a problem? If you share a life with someone you should share property and responsibilities.

I mean J Edgar Hoover lived with Clyde Tolsen for many years and Tolsen inherited the J Edgar Hoover estate, who knows on what their relationship was based, best friends? Regardless Tolsen deserved the inheritance.

 Kicking back after a day of arresting commies.

Stewart, thanks for sharing this great post with us, I just know that. That's really a good news for gay people, but it may affact the population a little bit~ LOL

Have a good day!

Hello Stewart - it's been nearly ten years since you published this post and it's interesting to see the comments from around the county.  A lot has changed and yet I "see" some of some thoughts expressed today.  Not always spoken or written yet still revealed in secret and not-so-secret ways.