The 50 Spot: One Door Closed, Another Open for Marriage

by Michael Jones · 2009-02-09 15:16:00 UTC
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Marriage EqualityOver the weekend, New York Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith said that there was not enough support in the Senate to push forward legislation that would recognize same-sex marriage in New York.  But with that door closed, another one opens in Illinois, where Chicago Rep. Greg Harris has introduced a bill in the Chicago legislature that would recognize marriage equality for all Illinois residents.  Door ajar.  To the 50 spot!

New York: Despite the fact that LGBT people and allies contributed heavily to turning the New York State Senate from Republican control to Democratic control - with a promise that same-sex marriage bills would be introduced if the Senate swapped power - newly-minted New York Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith told a weekend audience that he doesn't have the votes necessarily to bring marriage equality legislation to the table in the Empire State.  As Sen. Smith said during a weekend event hosted by the Human Rights Campaign: "Although we do not have the number of votes at this time needed to pass the marriage equality gender bill this legislative session, we are committed to pursuing its passage. And the question is not if; the question is when."  Sure, the question is when.  When will lawmakers like Smith stop promising things they can't deliver?

Illinois: New York may have closed the door on same-sex marriage for 2009, but Illinois is now on the radar screen.  Illinois Rep. Greg Harris has introduced the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, which would give civil marriage rights to same-sex couples in Illinois.  According to Angela Caputo at Progress Illinois, the proposed legislation will require that an individual in a same-sex marriage be included under the legal definitions: "spouse", "immediate family", and "dependent."  We're by no means there yet in Illinois, so this hardly makes up for the major setback in New York.  But Harris's legislation is a step in the right direction.

Hawaii: The state's second largest paper, the Honolulu Star Bulletin, is out with an official editorial calling on the state to recognize civil unions for same-sex couples.  Per the Star Bulletin: "Gay marriages have been banned in Hawaii since nearly 70 percent of voters approved a state constitutional amendment in 1998 that validated the Legislature's definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. Legislators now should give homosexual couples rights equal to those of traditional opposite-sex marriages without including them in the definition of "marriage" by recognizing civil unions."  There's currently a bill in the Hawaii legislature that would recognize civil unions, and by most respects it has about a 50-50 chance of passing.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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