NEW YORK: Gay Pol Thanks Miley Cyrus For Help With Homeless Youth Funding Bill

Openly gay New York Sen. Brad Hoylman today thanked pop star Miley Cyrus for helping win millions of dollars in state funding for homeless youth shelters. Via DNA Info:

The 2015 New York State Budget now has $4.5 million in funding for homeless youth shelters, the first significant increase in seven years — thanks to Miley Cyrus. State Sen. Brad Hoylman said credit for convincing Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to include the funding belongs to the "Wrecking Ball" singer. "I want to thank Miley Cyrus for her advocacy in helping raise awareness through our #5000TooMany social media campaign," Hoylman said in a statement. "Miley’s advocacy on behalf of homeless kids made a difference and is a perfect example how star power can be used to help others." Cyrus sent a letter to the Albany power trio a week ago urging them to include the funding in the budget.

State funding for homeless youth had been cut by two-thirds since 2008. The restored funding will reportedly pay for 1000 new shelter beds. The above-linked story does not specify how the new funding might be distributed to homeless LGBT youth services such as the Ali Forney Center.

NEW YORK: Democrats Seek To Expel Renegade State Sen. Simcha Felder

As I noted yesterday, newly-elected Democratic state Sen. Simcha Felder has announced that he will caucus with the GOP, imperiling the chance of Democratic control of the chamber for the first time in many years, not to mention jeopardizing the long overdue Gender Non-Discrimination Act, which has languished for a decade. Now the Democrats say they are exploring how to expel Felder from the party.

George Arzt, a spokesman for the Kings County Democratic Leader, told me Democratic party officials are looking at "both the Kings County and state Democratic Party rules" to see if Felder could be ousted from the party. "If they do not have provisions, they will propose ways of expelling members for actions of this type," Arzt said. Already, Assemblyman Nick Perry, also of Brooklyn, wrote on Twitter that Felder "should be removed from [the] Dem[ocratic] Party. Let the GOP have him." In a statement this evening, the Brooklyn Democratic County Leader Frank Seddio, said, "Felder's entire campaign was a lie." "Every elected Democrat has an moral obligation to support the leadership of the party in the Legislature, but Felder has elected to betray that trust, not to mention the sacred trust of voters," Seddio said.

Felder was elected from Brooklyn's newly-drawn and heavily Orthodox Jewish district. His campaign was supported by Democratic state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, one of New York's nastiest opponents of LGBT rights. (During the 2011 marriage battle Hikind said that if New York were to approve same-sex marriage, "We take the Torah, God forbid, and throw it in the garbage.") Responding to the ouster threats, Felder said yesterday, "The Democratic party doesn’t sound very democratic today."

Chicken & Waffles

Skelos: NY Senate Vote Tonight?

Or tomorrow. More vagueness from New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos.

Skelos also hinted that his conference and Cuomo are close on amendments to the same-sex marriage bill that would further clarify protections for religious organizations. “My colleagues and [the governor's] counsel’s office are looking very closely at religious protections and I think they will conclude that. Once we have final legislation we’ll discuss it in conference,” Skelos said. For the first time, Silver said he saw a draft of the amendments, and is agreeable on the concepts. He said a vote could be held tonight “if the Senate says they’re doing it and they agree on it.”

NY Gov. Cuomo To "Push For Marriage"

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that he will ask the state legislature to take up the issue of same-sex marriage before its current session ends this June.

His pledge was greeted warmly by gay-rights activists, who have waited with some uncertainty to see whether Mr. Cuomo, faced with a daunting battle over the budget, would make a charged social issue like legalizing same-sex marriage a priority. Legislation to do that has repeatedly passed the State Assembly, which is dominated by Democrats. But in December 2009, it failed in the State Senate, which was then also controlled by Democrats, by a vote of 38 to 24, an unexpectedly wide margin. It is not immediately obvious how the legislation would fare markedly better this year, given that the composition of the Senate, which is now controlled by Republicans, has not changed significantly since the last vote.

GOP state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos says that he won't obstruct a vote on same-sex marriage, although his spokesman says the GOP has "more pressing issues" to consider.

Is Openly Gay NY Sen. Thomas Duane Joining The Defectors?

Curiouser and curiouser. The New York Times is now reporting that openly gay NY Sen. Thomas Duane may be joining the ranks of Democrats defecting to support new Majority Leader Dean Skelos. Duane is the sponsor of the Senate's marriage equality bill.

One of the senators who is believed to be considering breaking ranks with the Senate Democratic conference, Thomas K. Duane of Manhattan, would not say where he planned to cast his political allegiance. “I am not considering anything but trying to get passed all the legislation I’ve spent my whole life fighting for,” he said. Mr. Duane, who did not attend meetings with his Democratic colleagues on Tuesday, said he had spent all day in discussions with senators from both parties. Mr. Duane is the sponsor of legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in New York. He has been working to garner the 32 votes necessary to pass the bill, and said he would continue to do so.

GOP leaders are claiming that more Dem defections are coming. Time is running out on the current session and no work at all has been done in the Senate this week as internal squabbling over the leadership coup continues.

Skelos: NY Senate Will Vote On Marriage

One day after he was installed as Senate Majority Leader in a coup that Democrats attempted to end by turning off the lights in the Senate room, Sen. Dean Skelos is telling the press that he will bring marriage equality to a vote before the current session ends in less than ten days. New Senate President Pedro Espada agrees and the two are expecting to discuss timing later today.

The Empire State Pride Agenda is trying to stay above the partisan warfare.

“Our issues are not partisan issues,” Alan Van Capelle, the organization’s executive director, said on Tuesday. “They are about equal rights for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who are treated like second-class citizens. Our hope and expectation is that yesterday’s events will not derail efforts by our community to win the equality we so desperately need.”

Since yesterday's bloodbath, we've not yet heard from openly gay Sen. Thomas Duane, who has famously claimed that the necessary votes to approve same-sex marriage do exist.

Chaos In NY Senate As Renegade Dems Unseat Majority Leader Malcolm Smith

And here, my friends, is where I fear New York's quest for marriage equality may have ended for 2009.

New York's state Senators today convened an emergency meeting to name GOP Sen. Dean Skelos (left) as the new majority leader as "Gang Of Four" members and Democratic Senators Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserratte have crossed party lines in a 32-30 vote to unseat Democratic Sen. Malcolm Smith. Elizabeth Benjamin at NY Daily News reports:

An observer in the Senate chamber tells me Skelos was sitting in Smith's chair with a BIG smile on his face and Smith was nowhere to be seen. The chamber has now emptied out and Republicans are talking about electing themselves to committee chairmanships. I managed to get in touch with Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., who said the following: "That's the rumor, but they haven't spoken to be about it," he said. "They're still amigos." Another rumor du jour is that Diaz, who is furious that the gay marriage bill he opposes appears to be gaining some traction in the Senate, would be angry enough with Smith if the measure comes up for a vote on the floor to join the Senate GOP.

I asked Diaz about that, and he said: "Today? No. Tomorrow? Who knows? Tomorrow is another day. It's always another day. You ask me do I plan to do that. I say, no. In the future, who knows what the future brings. The only thing I can tell you, and you can interpret this any which way you want: When I give my word, I keep my word. In order for me to break my word, you have to break yours first."

Here's how I interpret that: It's a (typically) cryptic way of Diaz Sr. confirming the worst fears of marriage advocates - that there was indeed a deal between himself and Smith that the gay marriage bill would not come to the floor in exchange for Diaz Sr.'s support of Smith for majority leader. And now, in Diaz Sr.'s mind, if Smith brings the bill to the floor, all bets are off.

Has our nemesis, the cartoonishly evil Sen. Ruben Diaz at last triumphed?

UPDATE: Whoa, this is messy. Sen. Malcolm Smith is now saying the the vote was "illegal" and that he is still the Senate Majority leader. From his spokesperson: "This was an illegal and unlawful attempt to gain control of the Senate and reverse the will of the people who voted for a Democratic majority. Nothing has changed...The real Senate majority is anxious to get back to governing, and will take immediate steps to get us back to work." Elizabeth Benjamin at NY Daily News: "I smell a lawsuit."

VIDEO: Espada and Skelos sworn in as new Senate leaders.

NYT To State Senate: Vote NOW

An editorial in today's New York Times strongly rebukes the state Senate and Majority Leader Malcolm Smith for dragging their feet on a vote on marriage equality and calls on them to immediately approve marriage equality.

Six states have now made it legal for same-sex couples to marry. New York is not one of them. Gov. David Paterson wants the state to guarantee that right, and the protections that come with it, and the Assembly approved legislation legalizing same-sex marriage last month. Malcolm Smith, the leader of the State Senate, insists that he, too, favors marriage for gay couples, but he won’t let a bill go to the floor unless he’s privately lined up enough votes. It is time for Mr. Smith and his fellow senators to decide this important matter in public.

There are few new arguments to be made behind closed doors. By now, the Senate’s 62 members have heard from every interest group. They know the polls and the politics. They know that New York is lagging behind others — including New Hampshire, where Gov. John Lynch, who had previously defined marriage as strictly between a man and a woman, signed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage on Wednesday. And if New York’s Assembly is any guide, once the matter comes to the floor, these senators will also recognize that same-sex marriage is a basic civil right that can no longer be denied to the citizens of this state.

Only 20 state Senators, all Democrats, have said they will definitely vote yes. However, openly gay state Sen. Thomas Duane claims that we do have the votes, much to the anger of anti-gay Sen. Ruben Diaz, who wants Duane to release the names "or shut up." Although Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos has said that GOP Senators are free to "vote their conscience" without repercussions from the party, getting the necessary 32 votes does appear doubtful. Do your part to change that - contact your state Senator today. The New York Senate's legislative session ends in two weeks.

NY Senate: Democratic Infighting Imperils Marriage Equality Vote

The infighting continues among Democrats over the selection of a new Majority Leader, the critical step to bringing marriage equality to a vote in New York. Things have gotten so bad that state GOP leader Sen. Dean Skelos (left) has declared that they will end up retaining the majority.

In some of his most detailed remarks since the Republican Party's historic defeat in statewide elections last week, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos denied the Democrats won control of the 62-seat chamber.

The state's top Republican said he hoped to cut a deal with three rogue Democrats and preserve GOP control of the Senate - the party's last toehold on statewide power. "It ain't over 'til it's over, as Yogi used to say," Skelos told Post State Editor Fredric U. Dicker on Dicker's Albany Talk 1300 radio show. "The way I see it, it's 30 Republicans, 29 Democrats and three outstanding."

Losses by longtime Republican Sens. Serphin Maltese and Caesar Trunzo last week gave the Democrats a 32-30 majority in the chamber. But three Democrats have withheld support from party leader Malcolm Smith in hopes of securing a share of the power next year. Each of the "Gang of Three" - Sens. Ruben Diaz Sr., Carl Kruger and Senator-elect Pedro Espada Jr. - has benefited from Republican ties in the past. In the days since the election, Skelos has tried to woo the three into a coalition.

The Renegade Three Democrats are all from NYC:

-Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. is a Pentacostal minister representing the Bronx.
-Sen. Carl Kruger is Russian-language newspaper publisher representing the Russian section of Brooklyn.
-Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. represents the South Bronx, although his challenger brought charges that his Bronx apartment is a sham residence and that Espada actually lives in tony Westchester County. Espada owes over $60K in state penalties for refusing to submit campaign finance disclosure forms.

All three oppose same-sex marriage, but if a Democrat is made Majority Leader, it is hoped that enough votes would come from the Republican side for the measure to be approved. If the Republicans maintain the majority, that vote will never come. Kruger said earlier this week that he wants to put the issue before the voters as a ballot measure. A poll of New York voters taken in June indicated that only 42% would support marriage equality. It's unknown how the California debacle may have influenced New Yorkers' opinions since then.

New Yorkers should keep these three asshat Democrats in their minds and in their chants at Saturday's protest rally at City Hall.

If Democrats Control The NYS Senate, What Next For Marriage Equality?

New York Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens), who is poised to take over the majority leadership role if Democrats take control of the state Senate in November, yesterday waffled when asked if he would vigorously pursue marriage equality when the day comes.

Although he reiterated his personal support of gay marriage (a position that was in question back when he first became minority leader), Smith declined to say definitively how or when he might address this particular topic if he becomes majority leader - a move that will no doubt disappoint some of the big gay donors who are helping to bankroll the Democrats' effort to flip the chamber this year.

"It's a good question," Smith said. "But I'd rather wait to see what seats I have, you know, who are my members, and at that time, then we can talk."

Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer had a program bill to legalize gay marriage, and Gov. David Paterson has been way out front on this issue, promising to push hard for legalization and recently winning a court case that upheld his directive that state agencies recognize same-sex marriages legally performed outside New York.

Earlier this week the current majority leader, right winger Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Nassau County), made an "unprecedented" appearance at a Log Cabin Republicans fundraiser, where Skelos made no mention of gay marriage, which he vehemently opposes. (During the event the LCR did honor three Republican Assembly members who last year voted in favor of marriage equality.)

Skelos was on hand to urge support for openly gay Republican candidate John Chromczak (pictured at right), an LCR member who is running against another newcomer, Democrat Dan Squadron, for the Senate district covering lower Manhattan and eastern Brooklyn. Chromczak is the first openly gay Republican to run for state Senate. Both Squadron and Chromczak support gay marriage, which may present a conundrum for gay progressives in that district, as the Stonewall Democrats did not support Squadron in the primary, instead pushing for now-ousted 30-year veteran Sen. Marty Connor. However the Victory Fund makes no mention of openly gay Chromczak on their site, so neither candidate apparently has the favor of LGBT politicos.

As long as Skelos remains Senate majority leader (a position he only took over in June when Sen. Joe Bruno retired), the issue of marriage equality will not be allowed to come to a vote. However the Republicans hold a slim 31-29 majority and Democrats are optimistic that they will gain control in November. Still, with Malcolm Smith's tepid enthusiasm, it may be far from a done deal. Last year the lower house overwhelmingly approved marriage equality in New York.