 Now is an exciting time for LGBTQ civil rights in New York State. Following last year’s election, when the Republicans regained control of the State Senate, many LGBTQ and allied New Yorkers were disappointed as to the future of Marriage Equality and Gender Expression Non-Discrimination in New York. But things are looking better. Governor Cuomo has been an incredible, staunch advocate for advancing—and passing—both the Marriage and GENDA bills in the state legislature. High profile national and state LGBTQ advocacy groups have formed a united voice in New Yorkers United for Marriage, and they are beginning an advertising campaign, which hopes to culminate with a vote on the Marriage bill in the legislature during the very near future. Here in Western New York, SDWNY and Outspoken for Equality has, with our great community of advocates, been actively lobbying all our state senators—and having an open dialog regarding the issues of Marriage and Gender Expression Non-Discrimination. As part of our lobbying, we have been running our Marriage letter campaign, and recently begun our GENDA letter campaign, focusing on the State Senate. If you have been one of the hundreds who have signed one of our different form letters or taken the time to write a handwritten note to your legislators, we thank you. If you have not, or are willing to go the extra step and gather more signatures and notes for equality, we encourage you to download the letters below, print them out, gather signatures and send them into your State Senator. However, SDWNY is ready and able to help with mailing, and we encourage you to contact us (by email or calling 716-541-5557) should you wish us to come pick up your letters and notes and mail them to our Senators. All information collected on this joint letter project between SDWNY and Outspoken for Equality is stored in an individual database. Each Senator receives a letter, and the database will only be used when it is know the legislation is coming to a vote in the Senate. You will receive an email and phone call from Outspoken for Equality, letting you know a vote is coming and asking you to put a phone call into your Senator’s office asking him or her to support this legislation. 
Add Comment By Denise Jewell Gee NEWS COLUMNIST April 11, 2011, 12:00 AM Kitty Lambert never thought it would take this long. Maybe she was naive. Maybe she was too ambitious. Perhaps she simply underestimated New York’s capacity for inertia. It was seven years ago that Lambert, fed up with the state’s refusal to allow her to marry her long-term partner, started OUTspoken for Equality. She marched on City Hall and organized rallies. The 56-year-old mother thought it was inevitable. She thought she’d see gay marriage in New York State within a few years. “It just seemed like it was such a reasonable thing to do,” Lambert said. Lambert doesn’t think that what she and thousands of others are asking for should be that difficult. As she puts it, she doesn’t want to get married in your church; she wants to get married in hers. Or at City Hall. Or perhaps outside on a fall afternoon. The point is, she wants equality under the law. She wants the same rights and protections that any straight couple can get with a$40 marriage license and a promise to have and to hold. This may finally be her year. It wasn’t a fluke that Lady Gaga uttered the name of a newly elected state senator during her stop last month in Buffalo. It wasn’t by chance that gay rights activists flooded cash into former State Sen. William T. Stachowski’s district last year after he voted against gay marriage. It’s no accident that Mario Batali, Julianne Moore and Barbara Bush have appeared in videos calling for same-sex marriage in New York. There’s a movement under way, and those working behind the scenes may be more politically organized than ever before. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has made it clear he wants to bring gay marriage to a vote again in the Legislature by June. Activists are counting up the votes needed to pass the State Senate, where a December 2009 vote defeated a previous bill to extend marriage rights. There is no doubt that the 38-24 State Senate vote in 2009 was a defeat for gay-rights activists. But it put legislators on record. With the vote, advocates knew exactly who was on their side — and who to target in the 2010 elections. Stachowski’s district was one of three across the state in which marriage equality activists focused resources. Fight Back New York, a political action committee working to elect pro-gay-marriage state senators, reported pouring $388,868 into the district to oppose Stachowski and, later, candidate Jack F. Quinn III. A 28-year veteran in a fiercely anti-incumbent year, Stachowski already had a lot working against him. He was opposed by gay-rights groups and environmentalists. But Fight Back New York wasted no time in claiming credit for his ouster. Its website features a picture of Stachowski with the word “defeated” across his face. “Hey Albany: Are you listening?”a head-line reads. “There are consequences for standing in the way of equality.” This is not the work of a group that plans to go away quietly. Lambert sees last year as a turning point for those working in Western New York to advance rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. “We’re getting politically savvy,” Lambert said. There is still a fight ahead, and again this year, it’s going to be waged in the State Senate. The longer state lawmakers wait, the more time and public opinion seem to be on the side of civil rights. A January poll by Quinnipiac University found that 56 percent of New York voters support legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry. Some day, we’ll look back and wonder what took so long. djgee@buffnews.com http://www.buffalonews.com/city/columns/denise-jewell-gee/article389912.ece  January 05, 2011 Dear Stonewall Democrat, As our year draws to a close with the signing of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010,” by President Obama, which will effectively end our military’s discriminatory prohibition of gays and lesbians serving openly, the Stonewall Democrats of Western New York reflect on a year filled with many historic and hard fought victories on the path to equality. With your continued support, we look forward to continuing our work together in the year ahead. After the New York State Senate’s 2009 defeat of the Marriage Equality bill, our Stonewall Democrats began 2010 with the goal of attaining the equality from our government that had previously been denied to us. This spring, SDWNY worked with the City of Buffalo’s Common Council to pass domestic partnership legislation. After years of lobbying the Buffalo law-making body, SDWNY members testified in front of the council and personally lobbied our lawmakers on the importance of domestic partner legislation. The result was a victory directly attributed to each and every one of you who worked this issue. Because of you, the City of Buffalo has established a city domestic partner registry, and passed legislation which extends domestic partner benefits to all city employees in same-gender domestic partnerships. This year also saw the long-over due passage of the Dignity for All Students Act. This bill was made a reality by the hard work and dedication of our Stonewall members, and by our representatives Assemblymember Sam Hoyt and Senator Antoine Thompson. Because of this act’s passage, all our New York children will be justly protected from bullying in schools. In 2010, SDWNY also participated in Marriage Equality New York’s Lobby Day, when again we directly lobbied our state legislators on the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community. Always, we have been there to educate our legislators. This election cycle brought us the chance to show at the voting booth the power of our pink votes, and what it means to support or not support our families. WNY sent a strong message with the election of Senator Tim Kennedy, our new representative in the 58th Senate District, who will be a pro-equality vote for GENDA and Marriage where we before had a no vote. Equality saw additional Stonewall victories in the past elections with the reelection of Assemblymember Hoyt, one of the LGBTQ community’s fiercest advocates in Albany, the election of our Governor Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, and all three of our endorsed New York State Supreme Court Candidates: Judges Eugene Fahey, Hank Nowak and Catherine Nugent-Panepinto. However, with our great victories came unfortunate defeats. We thank, from the bottom of our hearts, our pro-equality, progressive champion Senator Antoine Thompson for his great service to Western New York. SDWNY promises to hold the new Senator accountable for his actions, as we will the Senate’s new Republican leadership. The last year also brought incredible opportunities for SDWNY. This summer, we were honored to have our Stonewall Democrats chapter represented at two national conferences in Washington, D.C. We traveled to the Democratic National Committee’s Day of Pride and the National Stonewall Democrats conference, and met with activists, representatives from other nation-wide Stonewall chapters, and Congressional and White House staffers on issues of bettering our individual chapters, and working with our Congress to pass our legislative priorities. At the Erie County Democratic Committee’s reorganizational meeting this fall, I personally had the opportunity to address about 1,500 Erie County Democratic Committee members on the work of SDWNY, our pro-equality issues, legislation and candidates. This election saw our community increase our representation on the Erie County Democratic Committee, which is a hugely important way to work and advocate for our pro-equality legislators and candidates. As we begin 2011, I look forward to continuing our great and productive work together as Stonewall Democrats. Our organization as we stand now could not be the force we are without the involvement, activism and support of each and every one of our members. I am proud that our membership has increased in terms of numbers and activism this past year, and anticipate our organization to only grow stronger as we work to achieve the goals of the civil rights movement: Gender Expression Non-Discrimination and Marriage Equality in New York State, and Employment Non-Discrimination and the Uniting American Families Act at the federal level. Without you, the Stonewall Democrats of Western New York would not be what we are. I thank you for your support and involvement, and look forward to working together in the year to come. Sincerely, Bryan Ball President Stonewall Democrats of Western New York Click here to renew your membership or become a SDWNY member today! Image: 365gay.com It's here. 11/01/2010
Dear Stonewall Democrat, Soon, this election season will be over. We will have a new Governor, a new Attorney General, new justices and in many districts new State legislators. If we elect our pro-equality Stonewall endorsed candidates for these elected offices, we will have Marriage Equality and the Gender Non-Discrimination Act passed in New York State. It is as simple as that. Over the last year, GENDA and Marriage Equality failed in the State Senate. When Andrew Cuomo is our governor, and the state legislature has a Democratic pro-equality majority, those failures will not be repeated. In order to keep the Senate, and win equality, we need to come through for our supporters at the voting booth. With the Democratic majority in the Senate currently so thin, we cannot afford to lose our pivotal Western New York races. After today, I will have a new State Senator, and that State Senator will be Stonewall Candidate Tim Kennedy. In Tim Kennedy, we will have a new vote for equality in the seat formerly held by Senator Bill Stachowski, one of the eight Democrats who denied us Marriage Equality last December. Tim Kennedy will be a yes vote for marriage, a yes vote for GENDA and he will champion our cause. His opponent, Albany incumbent Jack Quinn III, is anti-equality, and has already had experience voting in Albany to deny the LGBT community our rights in the Assembly. It is crucial that we elect Tim Kennedy our next state senator in the 58th District. Please, do all you can to help elect a new pro-equality Senator from Western New York. If you can volunteer your time today, call Tim Kennedy’s field office at 716-818-5076 to find out how you can canvass doors, phone bank and work polls to elect Tim Kennedy our Senator from the 58th District. We have the same opportunity in the 59th Senate District. Stonewall Candidate Cynthia Appleton is running to succeed Senator Dale Volker—who while many claim to have been a good man, was never a good man to the LGBT community. Cynthia Appleton is a true progressive. Cynthia is an accomplished public servant, a proud and strong advocate for justice and equality—and she will restore integrity to the office of the 59th District. A true community leader, Cynthia Appleton has a strong record of accomplishment, and the right commitment to the reform we so need in Albany. A vocal champion of Marriage Equality and GENDA, Cynthia Appleton is exactly the kind of strong progressive we need to change Albany. Please, do all you can to help elect this new champion of the LGBT community as state senator. Call Chris Sasiadek at 716-997-0504 to find out how you can work today to make this victory a reality. In the 56th Senate District, we have yet another vital opportunity. Robin Wilt is a phenomenal voice who will bring a desperately needed fresh perspective to Albany. A co-founder of the Genesee Valley chapter of Progressive Democrats of America, Robin Wilt will be the needed progressive voice to replace anti-equality Sen. Joseph Robach in the State Senate. Robin Wilt has championed LGBT-rights issues throughout her campaign, and will another new champion for the cause once elected Senator. Also in need of your support is pro-equality champion Senator Antoine Thompson. Last year, when Marriage failed the Senate, Senator Thompson was the lone vote from Western New York that supported Marriage Equality. Senator Thompson has helped to pass the Dignity for All Students bill, and has been a proponent of LGBT equality throughout his career in elected office. Senator Thompson’s opponent, Mark Grisanti, is strongly opposed to LGBT equality. You can help retain this great advocate for the LGBT community by volunteering your time at Sen. Thompson’s headquarters at 20 Court Street in downtown Buffalo or by calling 716-856-6030. And lastly, but certainly not least, we are proud to support State Assemblymember Sam Hoyt in his reelection this year. Sam Hoyt is, simply, Western New York’s fiercest champion in the State Assembly. Sam’s long history supporting civil rights is one closely linked with the work of the Stonewall Democrats. Always, Sam has been with us. And again, we will be with Sam. When Marriage Equality and GENDA are finally passed, it will be because of Sam Hoyt’s dedicated work, and those of legislators like him. SDWNY has also endorsed several candidates for judicial office. These candidates submitted questionnaires and interviewed before the general membership for endorsement, and displayed a breadth of knowledge and fairness that consisted of equality for all who may appear before them in a court. For Erie County Court, we are proud to support Judge James McLeod, a great judicial mind and a man of outstanding character. For the five available seats on the New York State Supreme Court, we have endorsed Catherine Nugent-Panepinto, a dedicated community activist, school board member and New York State Supreme Court Confidential Law Clerk. We have also endorsed Judge Eugene Fahey for reelection and Judge Hank Nowak for election to the Supreme Court. Judge Nowak is currently a Buffalo City Court Judge assigned to Buffalo Housing Court. For more information on our judicial candidates, please visit www.sdwny.org. For state-wide office, SDWNY has endorsed Andrew Cuomo for Governor and Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy for Lieutenant Governor, and Eric Schneidermann for Attorney General. There are clear lines drawn between Cuomo and Schneidermann and their Republican opponents on the issues of equality. All three men have been unquestionably strong advocates for LGBT rights throughout their careers, and will be fierce advocates as our next Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. And today, we also have our WNY Congressional members running for reelection. Congressman Brian Higgins, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter and Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have all been friends and advocates for LGBT rights in Washington. Again, I implore you to do all you can to help elect our good, pro-equality Democrats this Election Day. This last year, our community has had great victories, like the passing of Dignity for All Students and domestic partnerships in the City of Buffalo, alongside great disappointments, like the failure of GENDA in committee and Marriage Equality on the Senate floor. Today, vote to make Marriage Equality and GENDA a success in the coming year, by vote pro-equality. Thank you. Bryan Ball Stonewall Democrats of Western New York: 2010 General Election Voters Guide New York State Governor/Lieutenant Governor: Andrew Cuomo and Robert Duffy New York State Attorney General: Eric Schneiderman New York State Legislature: Assembly District 144: Assemblymember Sam Hoyt State Senate District 60: Senator Antoine Thompson State Senate District 58: Tim Kennedy State Senate District 59: Cynthia Appleton State Senate District 56: Robin Wilt New York State Supreme Court: Catherine Nugent-Panepinto Judge Eugene Fahey Judge Hank Nowak Erie County Court: Judge James McLeod Andrew Cuomo for NYS Governor 10/18/2010
 Stonewall Democrats of Western New York is proud to announce our endorsement of Andrew Cuomo and Robert Duffy, for the next governor and lieutenant governor of our great state of New York. As our Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo has built a proven track record of standing up for what is right—and getting results. Andrew Cuomo has what it takes to clean up the current dysfunction of our state government and fight corruption. Andrew Cuomo has what it takes to run government more efficiently and—most importantly—ensure that each New Yorker is treated equally under the law. “Andrew Cuomo supports all of our equality,” said SDWNY President Bryan Ball. “Andrew Cuomo supports Marriage Equality and Gender Expression Non-Discrimination. And with him as our next governor, our newly elected Democratic and pro-equality state legislature and Governor Cuomo will make the much needed legislation for gender expression and marriage equality a reality.” We are especially thrilled to support Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy for Lieutenant Governor. Mayor Duffy has, while mayor of the city of Rochester, been a commendable advocate for LGBT civil rights and marriage equality—and we are confident he will continue fighting the good fight as our next lieutenant governor. Stonewall Democrats of Western New York are thrilled to support Andrew Cuomo for NYS Governor, and Mayor Robert Duffy for Lieutenant Governor. Andrew Cuomo and Robert Duffy are the right candidates, at the right time, for the equality of our great state of New York State. Image: Duprey/AP; Warga/News |  Stonewall Democrats of Western New
York is the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer Democratic voice in western New York. Our mission is to advocate for the LGBTQ community within the WNY area government and the Democratic Party. Meeting Information We meet the fourth Tuesday of each month at: El Museo Gallery 91 Allen Street Buffalo, NY 14202-1320 at 7PM News Archives
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