Another Queer Jewish Buddhist

Poll results show New Yorkers support Marriage Equality.

New York State voters support 51 – 41 percent, with 8 percent undecided, a law allowing same-sex couples to marry, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. 

    This is the first poll by the independent Quinnipiac University showing support for same-sex marriage in New York State, where voters split 46 – 46 percent on this issue in a May 14 survey and opposed same-sex marriage 55 – 37 percent in an April 15, 2004, poll.

    In this latest survey, women support same-sex marriage 58 – 35 percent, while men oppose it by a narrow 48 – 44 percent margin.  Same-sex marriage wins 65 – 28 percent from Democrats and 52 – 42 percent from independent voters, while Republicans oppose it 66 – 27 percent.   The proposal wins 52 – 42 percent support from white voters and 55 – 39 percent from Hispanics.  Black voters split with 43 percent in favor and 42 percent opposed.

    Voters who attend religious services at least once a week are opposed 63 – 31 percent, while those who attend less frequently support same-sex marriages 61 – 31 percent.   Support also rises with income and education level.

    New York State voters support same-sex civil unions 68 – 25 percent, with support from all groups, including 55 – 37 percent among Republicans.  Overall support was 65 – 27 percent May 14.

    “It’s the slimmest of majorities, but for the first time in a Quinnipiac University poll of New York State, same-sex marriage is ahead,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.  “Supporters have worked hard in the last six weeks, moving the needle from dead even to slightly ahead.  Who knows how far they can move that needle in the next six weeks if the State Legislature doesn’t act.”

“It is interesting to note that support for same-sex civil unions, which gay marriage advocates say is an unacceptable alternative, has barely moved,” Carroll added.
Given three choices:
•    46 percent of New York State voters say same-sex couples should be allowed to marry;
•    27 percent say they should be allowed to form civil unions;
•    20 percent say there should be no legal recognition.

Rhode Island Marriage Equality Demo: Best Photo

Courtesy of Rhode Island's Future site and my friend John in Providence...

Celebrating Pride, Jewish Style

It’s Pride Month, and for Jews around the country — and around the world, it’s the time of year that has become traditional over the last couple of decades to celebrate a Pride Seder or a special Pride Shabbat.

This weekend in New York City there are a number of Queer Jewish Pride events. At Congregation Rodeph Shalom on the Upper West Side there is a dinner following Friday night services with Judy Gold as the Guest of Honor, you can register on the JCC site, or at this date best to call 646-505-5708.

At the Village Temple, the Pride Shabbat d’var will be given by Gabriel Blau on this weeks Torah reading, and titled "Building Open Tents, The Jewish Journey and Civil Rights."  I’d like to be at both of these events, but this weekend I’ll be at NewFest, where I’ve marked out about 22 films I want to see — which means I will probably see about 15.

Meanwhile, the Temple for Universal Judaism is screening the film Hineini, a documentary about a young woman coming out in a Jewish high school, following services.

New Jersey won’t be left out — after all, they’re ahead of New York state in partnership rights for same-gender couples. And at B’nai Keshet, a Reconstructionist congregation, there will be a Pride Seder tied to the cause of marriage equality (which was the focus of the last seder at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun). And speaking of marriage equality, there is a great posting on the Jewish case for marriage equality from Australia (where pride seders have been celebrated as well).

Next weekend, down in Miami, at Temple Israel of Greater Miami, there will be a Pride Seder. I am always thrilled when I read about Pride Seders, since we started doing them at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in 1995, based on the liturgy developed by the Queer Minyan in Berkeley. We expanded the text and added a number of rituals, calling it the Stonewall Seder.  And over the years, as the text was picked up at other synagogues with additions and edits, we revised our text to reflect what we liked that we saw elsewhere. I wish there were one place where all the texts were collected so that someone could study the evolution of this new tradition.

Also next weekend in Boston, what is perhaps the oldest Pride Seder in the country will be held at Temple Sinai, and is sponsored by Congregation Am Tikva, CJP GLBT Team, Keshet, Ohel Tzedek of Temple Israel, and the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality.

The text of the Stonewall Seder (which can be downloaded here) was particularly influenced by revisions made by Andrew Ramer and Joss Eldridge at Congregation Sha’ar ZaHav, which this year will be holding their seder on Saturday, June 20, 2009, 6:00 pm. And for those of you who can’t go to a seder, you can see clips from the last Stonewall Seder at B’nai Jeshurun on YouTube, with the complete speech given by the guest of honor, Lisa Kron, and selection from the readings over the course of the night. My favorites include readings about the objects on the seder plate and a very different set of four questions:

And speaking of video clips, also at the JCC in NYC later this month is the Feigele Film Festival, with some great movies about queer life in Israel, including Veahavta—And Thou Shalt Love, Winner of the coveted Wolgin Prize for Best Drama at the Jerusalem Film Festival, 2008 and also inlcuding a documentary about pride celebrations in Jerusalem and how finally all religions of the middle east finally united — around a message of intolerance.

However you celebrate Pride Month — as  Jew, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Atheist, Jain…may it reflect the deep love that our expression of love in the world stands for.

What I did for love: Gay small town mayor in Texas resigns to be with Mexican boyfriend...

Another reason for quick passage of the Reuniting American Families Act. San Angelo's mayor J.W. Lown resigned from office to stay in Mexico while his partner waits to receive U.S. citizenship.

He had just won re-election with 89% of the vote, after already serving several terms. Mayor Pro Tem Jon Mark Hogg said “it goes without saying we lost a great public servant with.  He cared about and advocated for the city of San Angelo.”

This is TEXAS people!!!! The world is getting more interesting as more people not only come out, but take public stances on how their lack of legal status affects not only their lives, but the life of the wider community. This is where marriage equality on a federal level would make a complete difference.

As public servants like former Mayor Lown, and servicemenbers like Lt. Choi and Lt. Co. Ferhrehbach continue to come out, it's going to be harder for the right to make the case against us. Who is next?

Gay Marriage Quote of the Day: NY Times

In today's front page story about the disorganization of opponents to marriage equality in NY State is this gem of a sentence that is very telling and extremely sad:

"The state's Roman Catholic bishops have been somewhat distracted, too, having focused their lobbying energies this session on defeating a bill that would extend the statute of limitations for victims of sexual abuse to bring civil claims, and have appeared unprepared for the battle over marriage."

Caught with their pants down as it were.

Stonewall Seder 2007: Guest of Honor Lisa Kron speaks about Marriage Equality

Three videos, for a total of about 22 minutes, of smart talk that takes the discussion beyond simple same-sex marriage to wider social benefits for others as well, from the award-winning playwright and performer, Lisa Kron. At the Stonewall Seder in 2007, a ritual dinner celebrating what it means to be queer and Jewish.

Gay Primary Challenge to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand? Jon Cooper Is in the race and out.

Newsday reports that out gay businessman and legislator, Jon Cooper, has launched an website to explore a primary challenge in the 2010 Senate Race. The site shows Cooper with his partner Robert, and their five adopted children.

Check out his site and learn all about him. I like the idea of someone with serious gay family cred in the Senate.

Marriage Equality in New York: Fighting Faith with Faith...

The advertising in states where marriage rights have been extended to queer couples that opposes this is often funded by what we sometimes call the religious right. Since the 80's the joke about that term is that they are neither religious nor right. And while I think it is essential that this fight be conducted and framed as civil and secular rights, I also think it is essential that our allies in faith communities should be made more of. When the voices from these communities is no longer monolithic in its opposition to our cause — when we have ministers and rabbis from mainstream congregations who speak out in our favor — these are the people who can best reach the hearts and minds of those citizens and legislators who are being misled by their spiritual leaders. At the recent day of lobbying upstate in Albany, Equality and Justice Day, one of the speakers on the Mall was Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, of Congregation B'nai Jeshurun (where I am proud to be a member). Here is what he had to say to the people, and the legislators, of New York State, on the subject of marriage equality:

A Victory for Separation of Church and State: Same Sex Marriage Is Now Recognized Legally in Maine

After passing both houses of the legislature, the governor signed a marriage equality bill into law today. Americablog notes that the governor is a Catholic, who was lobbied hard by the local bishop to veto the bill. That makes it all the more notable that in his signing statement, Governor Baldacci said:

“Article I in the Maine Constitution states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against.’”

“This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State,” Governor Baldacci said.

“It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.”

“Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word,” Governor Baldacci said. “Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people.”

“While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do,” Governor Baldacci said.

That last statement is a nod to the fact that now the right will work to make the issue a referendum. However, if the legislature was not afraid of being voted out by the population, what makes the right think they can win this one by popular vote? They sure can't say this was mandated by the courts. This is representative government that is free of favoring any religious viewpoint. Nothing could be more American.

The New York Times ignores political reality in Iowa. What else is new?

In today's Week in Review article on marriage equality in the NY Times the facts about the Democrats official response to the decision of the state Supreme Court is completely ignored. Rather, we get a generalization instead of what actually happened:

"The patter on same-sex marriage," Professor Egan (who teaches politics and public policy at NYU) said, is that "Republicans react very opposed and Democrats very, very neutrally."

Uh, well perhaps generally speaking. But since this article purports to be about the slow sea change in attitudes (in the same edition the Style section opines whether Adam Lambert is gay and if so, whether he can win on Idol, in a story that's about 3 weeks late to the part) the reporter does not do the homework to find out what the Democrat's leadership response in Iowa was. So here it is for those of you who haven't seen it is a statement that is anything but neutral:

A joint statement from Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy on today’s Supreme Court decision:

“Thanks to today’s decision, Iowa continues to be a leader in guaranteeing all of our citizens’ equal rights. 

“The court has ruled today that when two Iowans promise to share their lives together, state law will respect that commitment, regardless of whether the couple is gay or straight. 

“When all is said and done, we believe the only lasting question about today’s events will be why it took us so long.  It is a tough question to answer because treating everyone fairly is really a matter of Iowa common sense and Iowa common decency.

“Today, the Iowa Supreme Court has reaffirmed those Iowa values by ruling that gay and lesbian Iowans have all the same rights and responsibilities of citizenship as any other Iowan.

“Iowa has always been a leader in the area of civil rights.

“In 1839, the Iowa Supreme Court rejected slavery in a decision that found that a slave named Ralph became free when he stepped on Iowa soil, 26 years before the end of the Civil War decided the issue.

“In 1868, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated “separate but equal” schools had no place in Iowa, 85 years before the U.S. Supreme Court reached the same decision.

“In 1873, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled against racial discrimination in public accommodations, 91 years before the U.S. Supreme Court reached the same decision.

“In 1869, Iowa became the first state in the union to admit women to the practice of law.

“In the case of recognizing loving relationships between two adults, the Iowa Supreme Court is once again taking a leadership position on civil rights. 

“Today, we congratulate the thousands of Iowans who now can express their love for each other and have it recognized by our laws.”