November 15th
2007
The party got started with Cocktails and some wonderful little morsles to munch.
Here are a few of our old friends who were there... and of course a few new ones....
(Unfortunately THAT is when our crumby little digital camera decided to take a brief poop, so we didn't get a picture of him... I have dropped major hints to Santa that I would love to get a new camera for Xmas and because I am still a believer, she brought me one!)
This is an evening that honors individuals in the Buffalo that have committed themselves and or their resources to making the lives of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Youth better, safer and stronger.
This years Honorees were Babs and Camille Conant-Cox
One of them we all know and love! (ok, grandma Kitty is a little partial to Andrew, but she is certain he is going to change the world for the better... )
Senator George D. Maziarz,
the conservative Republican from the 62nd Senate District that covers the counties of Niagara, Oleans, and part of Monroe and it includes the city of Lockport, portions of North Tonawanda, the city of Rochester and of both the Tonawanda and Tuscarora Reservations.
Senator Maziarz was invited by Marvin Henchbarger, Exec. Dir. of GLYS... she is a constituent of his.
As a supporter of Mehgan's Law it logically follows that he understands the importance of protecting our children from predators of any kind.
We hope to see this same support when it is time for the State Senate to vote for Dignity For All Students!
Senator Maziarz was charming and was even willing to pose for a picture for us and to converse on the topic of Marriage Equality.
The Senator was also Speaker Joe Bruno's choice for a Committee On Aging.... this is an issue that is fast affecting SO many members of the LGBT community.
We were saddened when he stated that he didn't support marriage equality and more than a bit confused when his primary reason was that he was a devout Roman Catholic. Those at the table who were also devout Catholics were truly agast by this. Those of us at the table who are not Catholic but are instead Jewish, Christian, etc., wondered who elected him to be a Catholic. We all assumed that he would understand the importance of protecting the religious freedoms of each and everyone of his constituents.
And, of equal importance, because one of his 4 main priorities is "increased attention to senior citizen needs" it would seem that he would understand the importance of marriage for the LGBT community and its protections for our assets, our homes, our old age, our surviving spouses and family members.
Even if those issues don't wrestle with his conscience, the issue of protection for our children should. Lynn and Cathy (Tranchell - Mack) who head a local chapter of COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) took the opportunity to introduce themselves and talk about how this issue affects them on a very personal level, talking about their teenage daughter and the challenges they experience as a family.
Cathy was very eloquent and poignant.
She is a devout Catholic and has (and is) raising their daughter as an active Catholic.
We truly hope that over the next few months of 2008 that he will be able to see that Equality is the KEY ISSUE.
Do we as New Yorkers, as Americans, deserve less?
And if so, who else, who will be next to be determined to be of little or no value
and have their freedom to practice their religion,
protect their families and homes denied?
Dangerous questions.
All we are asking for is EQUAL ACCESS TO EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER EXISTING NEW YORK STATE LAWS...
nothing special,
nothing more,
but certainly,
emphatically,
NOTHING LESS!
