Assembly Resolution No. 1427

BY: M. of A. Rules (Glick, Bronson)

MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 2014 as Gay Pride Month in the State of New York

WHEREAS, Members of this Legislative Body support the rights, freedoms, and equality of those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT); and

WHEREAS, Those who took a stand for human rights and dignity at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28, 1969, are among the pioneers within this movement; and

WHEREAS, The LGBT Stonewall protestors were subject to police harassment and invidious discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; and

WHEREAS, This decisive moment in history was followed by the creation of gay rights organizations in every major city in the United States within two years of the Stonewall uprising; and

WHEREAS, The Stonewall uprising has been followed by many positive progressive historic moments; and

WHEREAS, In December of 1973, the board of the American Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses; and

WHEREAS, A Marriage Equality Bill first passed the New York State Assembly in 2007; and

WHEREAS, The Marriage Equality Act passed both houses and was signed into law in New York State on June 24, 2011, making the state the sixth in the nation to do so; and

WHEREAS, This more than doubled the percentage of Americans who lived in states with fair marriage laws and affected more than 42,000 same-sex couples raising 14,000 children in the state; and

WHEREAS, The year 2012 marked the first year all 50 States in the United States had at least one openly LGBT elected official; and

WHEREAS, On June 26, 2013, New York State resident Edith Windsor, represented by Roberta Kaplan, won her case against the United States; the Supreme Court ruled that section three of the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional and the Federal Government cannot discriminate against married lesbian and gay couples for the purposes of determining Federal benefits and protections; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 2014 as Gay Pride Month in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York.