Alan Van Capelle Leaves Pride Agenda

Empire State Pride Agenda executive director Alan Van Capelle is stepping down for a position in the office of NYC Comptroller John Liu. The departure comes shortly after ESPA's years-long attempt to bring marriage equality to New York failed in the state Senate.

Van Capelle is breaking the news this morning to the staff at ESPA, where his seven-year tenure makes his the organization's longest-serving executive director. He will be Liu's deputy comptroller for external affairs, serving as a chief advisor on intergovernmental relations, politics and communications. He will start his new job in early March. "Executive directors tend to have a shelf life of five or six years," van Capelle told me this morning. "I think change is good. Period. The tremendous success the Pride Agenda has had over the last seven years may have been while I was executive director, but it wasn't solely because I was executive director....There are a lot of talented people who could lead this movement. My departure will provide an opportunity for somebody else." Van Capelle's departure comes almost two months after the LGBT community suffered a significant setback in the fight for marriage when the Senate defeated the measure, 24-38.

Comptroller Liu is said to be planning a 2013 run for NYC mayor. His hiring of Van Capelle may be part of laying the groundwork for LGBT support for that campaign. The recently elected Liu is a piece of work who makes his employees stand when he enters the room. They may only address him as "Mr. Comptroller." Good luck with that, Alan.

Marriage Optimism In Albany

Over at Gay City News, Paul Schindler has written an inside look at the negotiations to get the state senate to agree to a marriage equality vote before the end of the year. The Empire State Pride Agenda's Alan Van Capelle and openly gay Sen. Thomas Duane remain optimistic that "the votes are there."

“For the very first time, we have an historic commitment from the Senate majority to bring the bill to the floor,” Van Capelle told Gay City News the morning after the announcement. “I believe that we had the votes to pass the bill in June. I believe if it had been debated last night we would have had the votes.” Others echoed Van Capelle’s assessment of the significance of Tuesday evening’s announcement. “I would say that what it means is that there is almost a certainty that the marriage equality bill be voted on imminently,” said Marty Rouse, national field director for the Human Rights Campaign, which was also represented at the Paterson meeting. Agreeing with ESPA’s handicapping of the bill’s chances, Rouse said, “We’ve talked to our legislative allies, and our understanding is that the votes will be there when the vote comes to the floor.” Senators also voiced satisfaction, with Duane telling Gay City News, “I feel very happy, very positive.”

However NY1 has today posted a recap of likely votes and it doesn't look good.

While the vote is all but guaranteed, the bill's passage is anything but. A NY1 tally of lawmakers shows support for same sex marriage is not even half way there. Of 62 senators, 21 are supportive. The remaining 41 are opposed, wouldn't say, or couldn't be reached Wednesday, a state holiday. Proponents admit some of the 30 Republicans will be needed. A spokesman for the GOP conference says none are publicly supportive. Opponents like New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms Executive Director Jason McGuire say they have reason to be concerned at the polls, referencing a socially moderate Republican pushed out by a conservative in a recent congressional contest upstate. "No senator wants to be the next Dede Scozzafava and lose their seat because of the issue of marriage," McGuire said. On the other side, there's political heft for supporters facing a tough vote. Generous campaign contributions from gay rights supporters helped return Democrats to senate power for the first time in more than four decades.

NYC: Gov. Paterson, Mayor Bloomberg Join Thousands For Marriage Equality Rally

New York Gov. David Paterson and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg were only two in a galaxy of stars of stage and politics to join thousands of New Yorkers in today's marriage equality rally just off Times Square. The event was seamlessly produced by Broadway Impact, who are due huge congratulations for pulling the whole thing off in just ten days. I spent most of the afternoon backstage or in the press pit and got some great shots for the below slideshow.

Among the many inspiring speakers were newly engayged Sex In The City star Cynthia Nixon, newly engayged Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell, state Sen. Tom Duane, Bloomberg, Paterson, and Empire State Pride Agenda executive director Alan Van Cappelle. The cast of Hair performed two great numbers lead by openly gay star Gavin Creel, hunkster heartthrob Cheyenne Jackson sang, and Tony winner Audra McDonald brought the house down to close the day. It was a fantastic afternoon and totally the homo antidote to all the evangelical bigotry we had experienced just a few blocks away. Full-screen versions of the photos below are here.

UPDATE: Wayne Anderson has posted a great set of photos at World Of Wonder. And Little David has great video of Tony winner Audra McDonald's fantastic closing song.

HomoQuotable - Alan Van Capelle

"Vermont was the first state to pass a law recognizing same-sex couples through civil unions and now becomes the first state to provide real marriage equality for same-sex couples through a vote in the state legislature. This is truly a victory for LGBT people in Vermont and across the country.

"But I’m embarrassed for New York State.

"We hope that our State Senate in New York will now look at three of the states that surround New York—Massachusetts, Connecticut and now Vermont—and realize that we are falling behind. Governor Paterson, Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand, every statewide official, the New York State Assembly, and a majority of New Yorkers already support passing a bill that would provide same-sex couples with the 1,324 rights and protections that come with a New York State marriage license.

"Despite the prevailing wisdom that Albany is hopelessly dysfunctional, we have—time and time again over the years—proved that we can break through the gridlock and pass legislation providing equality for our community when most people thought it couldn’t be done. We are working daily with Democrats and Republicans in the State Senate and grassroots organizations across the state to make sure that we have the votes to pass a marriage bill this year. Patience is not always a virtue—our families cannot wait any longer." - Alan Van Capelle, executive director of Empire State Pride Agenda.