Empire State Pride Agenda
Founded | 1990 |
---|---|
Dissolved | December 13, 2015 |
Location | |
Area served | New York |
Key people | Nathan M. Schaefer, executive director |
The Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA) was a statewide political advocacy organization in
ESPA played a leading role in the late 1980s and early 1990s, along with groups representing other minorities, in surveying and consulting on a new districting process for the City Council of New York City; according to some, these efforts resulted in the most diverse City Council since the 1930s.[7] Dick Dadey served as first executive director from 1991 to 1997.[8]
ESPA has been the driving force in negotiating New York City's comprehensive
In 2012, ESPA received press attention when, approaching the end of Ross D. Levi's second year as executive director, it assigned his duties to his deputy Lynn Faria pending a long-term replacement.[11][12]
ESPA was a member of the Equality Federation.[13]
History
In June 1994, ESPA, along with the New York City chapter of the
In 1994, ESPA joined a network of liberal and progressive groups to counteract the "right-wing"
In 1998, ESPA launched "Pride in the Pulpit", a program to combat the use of religion to advance anti-LGBT amendments and legislation; in 2005, more than 450 non-LGBT religious leaders participated.[18]
In 1999, ESPA Co-chair Jeff Soref was named a part of Out magazine's "Out 100" for his work with ESPA and his efforts to push for a rule change to provide gays and lesbians more representation at the 2000 convention of the
ESPA was a strong advocate for a 2000 hate crimes law that provided enhanced criminal penalties for crimes motivated by hatred on the basis of sexual orientation.[21]
In 2001 and 2002, ESPA worked to ensure that same-sex partners of
In December 2001, ESPA executive director
In June 2004, the annual Equality at Work awards honoring companies and individuals that work to create an "inclusive workspace that respects, welcomes and supports LGBT professionals" were launched. The 2005 recipients were
ESPA helped pass an August 2004 law guaranteeing same-sex partners hospital visitation rights identical to those enjoyed by spouses and next-of-kin when caring for loved ones in hospitals and other facilities.[28][38]
In October 2004, ESPA held its 13th Annual Fall Dinner with keynote speaker San Francisco mayor
In 2005, ESPA helped to pass legislation providing same-sex partners the same authority as spouses when making decisions regarding the burial of a deceased partner.[27][28]
In October 2005, ESPA joined the Lambda Legal Defense Fund and a coalition of anti-censorship groups to oppose a new zoning law that would shut down an estimated 149 adult-oriented bookstores, theaters and clubs including all of the businesses on Christopher Street.[42]
In 2007, same-sex marriage legislation passed the New York State Assembly by a vote of 85–61.[43] ESPA has been a leading supporter of same-sex marriage legislation in New York.
In 2008, the ESPA-supported Gender Expression Nondiscrimination Act passed the New York State Assembly for the first time.[28][44]
On December 2, 2009, ESPA-supported same-sex marriage legislation failed in the New York State Senate by a vote of 24–38.[45]
On May 14, 2010, a
On July 2, another reporter reported (on the same NYT blog) Ellner's appointment to head the "Campaign for New York Marriage", financed by Human Rights Campaign.[47]
On April 20, 2011, New Yorkers United for Marriage was instituted as an alliance among ESPA, Marriage Equality New York, the Human Rights Campaign, and Freedom to Marry.[50]
A March 6, 2012, report stated[51] that Levi had been "fired" the preceding day. The Times credited that as the first report, and suggested that ESPA board members felt Human Rights Campaign's work under Ellner had caught attention to the detriment of ESPA's role.[48]
On December 12, 2015, ESPA announced that it would be disbanding over the course of the first half of the next year, citing the "fulfillment of a 25-year campaign for equality."[2]
Same-sex marriage lobbying
At the ESPA Fall Dinner held on October 22, 2009, then-Executive Director Alan Van Capelle publicly expressed great frustration that state senators supported by the group—some of whom Van Capelle mentioned by name—had not yet passed legislation on same-sex marriage.[52] At a "couldn't-be-higher stakes" November 2010 meeting with Governor David Paterson and other elected officials who supported the same-sex marriage bill, Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson and Senator Jeff Klein "did not mince words in letting Van Capelle know they were upset by" his critical comments at the Fall Dinner.[53]
ESPA was regarded as the driving force behind a failed December 2009 Senate vote on same-sex marriage legislation.[54] In late 2010, Governor David Paterson was asked what would have to occur in order for same-sex marriage to be legalized in New York. Paterson responded, "Get rid of the lobbyists," and added that same-sex marriage lobbyists had "literally forced" a Senate vote prematurely in December 2009.[55]
See also
- LGBT culture in New York City
- LGBT rights in New York
- LGBT history in New York
- Same-sex marriage in New York
- List of LGBT rights organizations
Notes
- ^ a b c U.S. Congressional Record, Proceedings and Debates of the 170th Congress, First Session, Volume 147, Part 17, page 24556, November 29, 2001 to December 10, 2001. United States Printing Office.
- ^ a b McKinley, Jesse (2015-12-12). "Empire State Pride Agenda to Disband, Citing Fulfillment of Its Mission". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
- ISBN 978-0-7890-2310-0, pages 6–7.
- ^ "Transitions", page 19, The Advocate, April 2, 1996.
- ISBN 978-1-59698-507-0, page 145-6.
- ^ Greg Hernandez, "Growing the Grass Roots", page 35-7, The Advocate, July 19, 2005.
- ISBN 978-0-231-09662-1, pages 222–241.
- ^ "Transitions", page 12, The Advocate, September 30, 1997.
- ^ Mucciaroni, pages 206–7.
- ^ Stryker et al., page 259-260.
- ^ Celeste Katz, "Ross Levi Is Done As ESPA Executive Director", March 6, 2012, New York Daily News.
- ^ "Press Release: Ross Levi named Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda" Archived 2012-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, May 22, 2010
- ^ Bajko, Matthew S. (2011-01-27). "Political Notebook: Equality Federation welcomes new executive director". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
- ^ "Read About It", page 17, The Advocate, July 12, 1994.
- ^ Anner, pages 37–41.
- ^ John Gallagher, "The Great Gay Marriage Debate", pages 35–6, The Advocate, February 20, 1996.
- ^ Todd Savage, "Taking It To The People: Activists Spread Clinton's Hate-Crimes Message to Middle America", pages 33–34, The Advocate, December 9, 1997.
- ^ Sarah Wildman, "Faith-based Equality: What Would Jesus do, Indeed. Hundreds of straight Religious Leaders are Coming Out in Support of Gay Men and Lesbians-Both in Speaking to Their Congregations and Lobbying Lawmakers", The Advocate, pages 37–8, September 13, 2005.
- ^ "Welcome to the Out 100", Out, page, 54, January 1999.
- ^ Perrotti, page 41.
- ^ Summers, Claude J (2007). "Empire State Pride Agenda" (PDF). GLBTQ. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ Mubarak Dahir, "Terrorism Aftermath: Sidelined Survivors? Already Grief-Stricken, Same Sex Partners of Terrorist Attack Victims May Have To Fight For Equal Benefits", The Advocate, page 15, November 6, 2001.
- ^ Crotty, page 43.
- ^ "September 11: No Respite For Surviving Partners", page 16, The Advocate, April 16, 2002.
- ^ Mubarak Dahir, "September 11: Are All Survivors Equal?", pages 26–9, The Advocate, September 17, 2002.
- ^ "Equal Grief, Equal Benefits", page 16, The Advocate, November 20, 2001.
- ^ a b "Washington Blade: Sept. 11 introduced US to gay families". Nhftm.org. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
- ^ a b c d "Accomplishments". Empire State Pride Agenda. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ Christopher Tkaczyk, "Foreman at the Task Force", page 14, The Advocate, May 13, 2003.
- ^ a b Swan, page 107.
- ^ Muscio, pages 257–8.
- ^ Sycamore, page 52.
- ^ "News of the Year: April", page 24, The Advocate, January 20, 2004.
- ^ Lewis Whittington, "Equal Rights, At Long Last", page 16, The Advocate, February 4, 2003.
- ^ "Transitions", page 19, The Advocate, October 28, 2003.
- ^ "I Have Pride In My Workplace", page 177, The Advocate, June 21, 2005.
- ^ "Equality at Work Awards", page 11, The Advocate, June 6, 2006.
- ^ Baker, AL (October 2, 2004). "New Law Gives Gay Partners Visiting Rights in Hospitals". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ The Advocate, September 28, 2004, No. 923, page 42, ISSN 0001-8996, Here Publishing
- ^ Healy, page 44.
- ^ Healy, page 43.
- ^ During, page 357-8.
- ^ Spector, Joseph (2009-05-13). "N.Y. Assembly passes same-sex marriage legislation". USA Today. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
- ^ "New York State Assembly – Member Section". Assembly.state.ny.us. 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
- ^ "POLITICS – All Boroughs". NY1. Archived from the original on 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
- ^ Peters, Jeremy W (May 14, 2010). "Gay Rights Group to Choose a New Leader". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 17, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Barbaro, Michael (July 2, 2010). "Former Bloomberg Aide to Take On Opponents of Gay Marriage". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Taylor, Kate (March 6, 2012). "Gay Rights Group Fires Chief, Central in Marriage Fight". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ "Ross Levi at Empire State Pride Agenda 2010 Fall Dinner". YouTube. Prideagender. October 16, 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ "Gay rights advocates unite efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in New York". LGBTQ Nation. 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
- ^ Schindler, Paul (March 6, 2012). "Pride Agenda Board Fires Ross Levi". Gay City News. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ Vielkind, Jimmy (October 8, 2009). "Gay Marriage in October, Or Else". Observer. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ Towle, Andy (November 12, 2009). "New: NY Senator Tally on Marriage Equality and Vote Deal Insight". Towleroad. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ Vielkind, Jimmy (December 3, 2009). "The Thousand Father of Marriage Inequality". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on December 5, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ Kaplan, Thomas (December 2, 2010). "No Last Push by Paterson to Legalize Gay Marriage". New York Times. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021.
Bibliography
- Anner, John, Beyond Identity Politics: Emerging Social Justice Movements in Communities of Color, South End Press, 1996, ISBN 978-0-89608-533-6.
- Bailey, Robert W., Gay Politics, Urban Politics: Identity and Economics in the Urban Setting, Columbia University Press, 1999, ISBN 978-0-231-09662-1.
- Buchanan, Angela Marie and Bay Buchanan, The extreme makeover of Hillary (Rodham) Clinton, Regnery Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-59698-507-0.
- Crotty, William J., The politics of terror: the U.S. response to 9/11, UPNE, 2004, ISBN 978-1-55553-577-3.
- During, Simon, The Cultural Studies Reader, Psychology Press, 1999, ISBN 978-0-415-13754-6.
- Healy, Sheila A., "Advocating for Health and Human Services: The New York Experience", Handbook of LGBT Issues in Community Mental Health, Volume 8, Issues 3–4 of Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, Psychology Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-7890-2310-0.
- Hellman, Ronald E. and Jack Drescher, Handbook of LGBT Issues in Community Mental Health, Volume 8, Issues 3–4 of Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, Psychology Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-7890-2310-0.
- Lewin, Ellen, Recognizing Ourselves: Ceremonies of Lesbian and Gay Commitment, Columbia University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-231-10393-X, 9780231103930.
- Mucciaroni, Gary, Same sex, different politics: success and failure in the struggles over gay rights, University of Chicago Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-226-54409-0.
- Muscio, Inga, Cunt: a declaration of independence, Live Girls, Seal Press, 2002, ISBN 978-1-58005-075-3.
- Pinello, Daniel R., "America's Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage", Cambridge University Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0-521-84856-5.
- Perrotti, Jeff, Kim Westheimer, When the Drama Club is Not Enough: Lessons from the Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Students, Beacon Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0-8070-3131-5.
- ISBN 978-0-8166-3407-1.
- Swan, Wallace, Handbook of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender administration and policy, CRC Press, 2004, ISBN 978-0-8247-4791-6.
- Sycamore, Matt Bernstein, That's Revolting!: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation, Soft Skull Press, 2004, ISBN 978-1-932360-56-1.
External links
- "Empire State Pride Agenda". Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2009.