April 28th: Marriage Equality NY Gala

The 12th annual Marriage Equality New York gala fundraiser takes place on April 28th in Manhattan. Get tickets here.

The MENY Gala will be recognizing and honoring: Queer Rising, NYS Senator Peralta, Sharron Minter, and BD Wong for their work in moving marriage equality forward in New York State and, in some cases, on the national front. This recognition comes from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and it represents how important this issue is in our everyday lives. There will also be a silent auction put on by MENY PAC (our political action committee is not a 501c3 and donations on the auction are not tax-deductible)

Hiram "Slasher" Monserrate LOSES Homophobic Bid To Return To NY Senate

Local news has declared Assemblyman Jose Peralta the victor (by an almost 2-1 margin) over former NY Sen. Hiram "Slasher" Monserrate in one of the most homophobia-filled elections in recent NYC history. It appears that turnout, always low for special elections, may have only been about 25,000 total voters, making the impact of activists from groups such as Fight Back New York and the Empire State Pride Agenda even more critical to tonight's result. Well done, everybody. And congratulations, Senator Peralta.

Queens: Get To The Polls Today

If you live in Jackson Heights, Queens or know somebody who does, please remember to email your friends a reminder to get to the polls today. Turnout is expected to be quite low, so you will be spending less than five minutes of your day to strike the first blow in voting out hate in the New York Senate. Fight Back New York, there are more targets to come after Hiram "Slasher" Monserrate.

Tomorrow: Monserrate - Peralta Election

Tomorrow Queens residents will vote on whether to allow anti-gay Hiram "Slasher" Monserrate back into the NY Senate following his explusion for attacking his girlfriend, who was left with 40 stitches in her face when Monserrate "accidentally" slashed her with a broken glass. Assemblyman Jose Peralta is riding high in the polls, but Monserrate has galvanized the local Hispanic evangelical community with a campaign that has become a defacto referendum on gay marriage. If you live in Queens or know somebody who does, please email your friends today, right now, and remind them to get to the polls tomorrow. Fight Back New York!

Peralta Vs. Slasher Monserrate

Andres Duque at Blabbeando provides the transcript for this debate on NYC Spanish television. Monserrate complains about the "wealthy homosexuals" such as activist Tim Gill who are funding Peralta's campaign, calling Peralta a "marionette" of the gay community.

Hiram "Slasher" Monserrate Booed At Public Debate With Jose Peralta

Audience members booed and symbolically "slashed" their faces with blood-red lipstick last night as former NY Sen. Hiram Monserrate debated Assemblyman Jose Peralta.

Monserrate, who's fighting to win back the state Senate seat he was booted from earlier this year, was booed as he introduced himself during the debate against Democratic Assemblyman Jose Peralta. Also participating in the debate was Robert Beltrani, a Republican parole judge. A school safety officer even had to quiet one outspoken person interrupting Monserrate, who's running as an independent on the 'Yes We Can' ticket, as he touted his legislative achievements. Then several others drew lipstick slash marks on their cheeks, a reference to Monserrate's misdemeanor conviction for cutting his girlfriend's face with a broken glass in December 2008. "I consider myself an advocate for the community," he declared at Intermediate School 145 in Jackson Heights, adding, "one incident does not negate 25 years of service."

The special election is this Tuesday. Visit Fight Back New York for information on how to help in rally voters in Queens and to donate to their campaign to defeat our state's anti-gay legislators.

Jose Peralta For New York Senate

I love that it opens with the video of Slasher Monserrate roughing up his girlfriend. Fight Back New York, help Jose Peralta.

Cynthia Nixon For Fight Back New York

Cynthia Nixon for Fight Back New York. "We've tried the carrot. Now it's time for the stick. It's time to fight back." Fight Back New York is a new PAC created expressly to defeat anti-gay candidates for the New York Senate. Hit the link. Donate. We've got an uphill battle to get Assemblyman Jose Peralta into Slasher Monserrate's old seat next week.

Hiram "Slasher" Monserrate's Supporters Go On Full Anti-Gay Attack

Clearly taking his cues from his male lover Sen. Ruben Diaz, disgraced former NY Sen. Hiram Monserrate has gone from supporting same-sex marriage to supporting anything-but-marriage to outright demonizing LGBT people. All in the space of three months! Fight Back New York!

The Truth About Hiram Monserrate

Fight Back New York has launched The Truth About Hiram Monserrate, a site with links to many major news stories about the girlfriend-slashing former NY state senator, as well as lots of downloadable fliers such as the one above. (I love the signs that include broken glass.) Donate to support Monserrate's opponent, the LGBT-friendly Jose Peralta here.

Anti-Gay Religious Groups Endorse Former NY Sen. Hiram Monserrate

In response to Fight Back New York's campaign to thwart former NY Sen. Hiram Monserrate's return to office, the convicted girlfriend slasher has proudly announced that he's been endorsed by anti-gay religious groups in Queens.

Monserrate announced he's being supported by a bunch of clergy who are praising him for his support on one particular issue: same-sex marriage. Specifically, his opposition to it. The clergy members announced their support of Monserrate in response to a a pro same-sex marriage P.A.C. that is trying to oust Monserrate. "We find their tactics to be offensive and disrespectful," said the Rev. Andy Torres, in a statement sent out by Monserrate's campaign. "Their overall goal supporting Gay Marriage is contrary to our moral principles. We unequivocally support Monserrate in the special election as a legislator who will defend our position." A more nuanced position was expressed by Gilbert Pickett, another church spokesman. "Monserrate has supported many gay groups that provide services in this community for years but did not vote for Gay Marriage. He should not to persecuted by rich gay outsiders for his vote of conscience which is consistent with church values."

Monserrate betrayed the Empire State Pride Agenda last year by voting against same-sex marriage after telling ESPA in writing that he supported them. The special election to fill his seat takes place on March 16th. Visit Fight Back New York for information on how to donate or volunteer to support LGBT friendly candidate Assemblyman Jose Peralta. Turnout for the election is expected to very low, so all help will be critical to the result.

Heavy Hitting New PAC Takes Aim At Anti-Marriage Equality NY Politicians

The powerful Gill Action Fund has joined with other well-financed LGBT activists to create a new political action committee called Fight Back New York, who plans to target the state senators who voted against December's marriage equality bill. First to face the ire of this new coalition is recently expelled NY Sen. Hiram Monserrate, who is running to re-take his seat in a March 16th special election.

The committee will start going after Mr. Monserrate, who was convicted of assaulting his female companion in a confrontation that left her requiring more than 20 stitches, by mailing fliers this week to voters in his district. The flier shows still frames of a surveillance video that shows him dragging his companion, Karla Giraldo, through the hallway of his apartment building in Jackson Heights, Queens. He was acquitted of a felony assault charge by a judge, who convicted him of misdemeanor assault. “He brutally assaulted a woman and tried to cover up his crime,” the flier says. “Now he has the nerve to run again. Many of us have voted for Hiram before. But we cannot vote for him again.” In the three weeks that remain before the election, Fight Back New York expects to send out at least five different fliers, upwards of 100,000 pieces of mail. The district’s population is around 300,000, but voter turnout in special elections is typically quite low. Mr. Monserrate, who would run as an independent, is facing Assemblyman Jose Peralta, a Democrat supported by the party and many leading Democrats.

In related news, the Empire State Pride Agenda has launched "Don't Get Mad, Get Even," a campaign in support of Monserrate's opponent, Assemblyman Jose Peralta. Visit the above link to donate to Peralta's very short but important NY Senate election bid. Monserrate has formed a new party he is calling "Yes We Can" (seriously) and will not be running as a Democrat.

Adding to the "only in New York" bizarreness, former NYC Councilwoman Helen Sears has decided to cross party lines and run against Monserrate and Peralta as a Republican. And the broken down clown car known as the New York Senate wobbles on.

Already?? Trouble For Pride Agenda's First 2010 NY Senate Pick

Yesterday the Empire State Pride Agenda announced their endorsement of NY Assemblyman Jose Peralta in his bid to unseat NY Sen. Hiram Monserrate, who stunned activists with his betrayal on marriage last week. But today we learn that Peralta may not be a squeaky-clean choice. Via NY Daily News:

Queens Assemblyman Jose Peralta landed more than $500,000 in taxpayer money for a nonprofit that never filed federal tax records, has no employees and has been inactive for more than two years. Peralta helped organize the Corona-Elmhurst Center for Economic Development after joining the Legislature, and for years it was located in the same building as his campaign office. This year, he and his chief political consultants have continued to lobby state and city lawmakers for additional grants for the dormant group, the Daily News has learned. Until a month ago, the Corona-Elmhurst group maintained an office at 104-01 Roosevelt Ave., in a two-story commercial building, where Peralta rents space for his election committee. The building is owned by Dr. Mercedes Mota-Martinez, a dentist who runs a clinic on the building's upper floor and who also employs Peralta's mother, Rosa Hernandez, as an office manager.

Well, that doesn't look good, does it? There's more to the story and Peralta may be in the clear here, but so far this gets a big "uh-oh."

In related news. today Peralta slammed Monserrate as "a liar and and abuser," referring to Monserrate's recent conviction for slashing his girlfriend's face with a broken glass.

Assemblyman Jose Peralta has unleashed his harshest criticism of his primary opponent, Sen. Hiram Monserrate, to date, calling his fellow Queens Democrat "a liar and an abuser." Peralta's attack came in response to Monserrate's appearance on NY1's "The Road to City Hall" last night - his first one-on-one interview since he was sentenced last week following his conviction in October on a misdemeanor charge of assaulting his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo. Peralta said he was "appalled and disgusted by what I heard and saw.

The Daily News' reliable Elizabeth Benjamin notes: "It's interesting that the assemblyman has chosen to ratchet up his criticism of his target on the same day the DN's Juan Gonzalez reported Peralta has directed some $500,000 worth of taxpayer funds to a nonprofit of dubious standing to which he has a personal connection."

Yup, that's interesting.

Pride Agenda Endorses First Opponent To Democratic Anti-Marriage Senators

The Empire State Pride Agenda is fast out of the gate, today making its first endorsement of an opponent to one of the eight Senate Democrats who voted against marriage equality. Via press release.

The Empire State Pride Agenda announced today its endorsement of Assemblymember José Peralta in the 2010 Democratic Primary Election for State Senate District 13 in Queens. Assemblymember Peralta is challenging Hiram Monserrate, the incumbent State Senator who last week reneged on a stated commitment in a 2008 Pride Agenda candidate questionnaire to support marriage equality legislation and voted “no” when the bill was brought to the Senate floor on December 2. “José Peralta has demonstrated time and time again that he is a champion of equality and justice for all New Yorkers and has consistently represented the interests of his district in the New York State Assembly,” said Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle. “His record on LGBT issues demonstrates that he does not duck-and-run when our bills come up for a vote. He has stood up for us in the Assembly, and we will stand with him in his race for the State Senate.”

Jose Peralta voted "yes" on marriage all three times it came up in the NY Assembly. The NY Senate has yet to decide what, if anything, they will do about Hiram Monserrate's assault conviction.