Stonewall Democrats of Western New York  

Earlier today, Congressmember Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) announced she would be resigning from Congress, to focus on her recovery from injuries sustained in the horrific Arizona shooting nearly one year ago. 

SDWNY wishes Congressmember Giffords the absolute best in her courageous recovery and continued public service. An ally for LGBTQ equality in Congress (and a good friend of the Southern Arizona Stonewall Democrats), Giffords has been a force in Washington, supporting the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the recently passed hate crimes legislation. 

"What happened to Congresswoman Giffords was unspeakably horrific, and her continued recovery is such a wonderful event to witness," said SDWNY President Bryan Ball. "When I once had the honor of meeting her briefly, it was so clearly evident that Congressmember Giffords has represented, throughout the entirety of her Congressional service, all that is right with the way business is done in Washington. Her spirit, determination and patriotic service will forever endure. We thank her for her service." 

SDWNY Annual Holiday Party
Thursday, January 12 2012
El Museo / 91 Allen St., Bflo 
5:30- 7:30PM


$5 suggested donation

2012 memberships and renewals are available for $15. 

Please join SDWNY for our annual holiday party! Join us for light food, drinks and fun as we celebrate the historic victories we have had in 2011, and the work we will do to build upon them in 2012! 

*Full SDWNY memberships to both SDWNY and National Stonewall Democrats will remain at the set price of $35*

We hope to see you there!

Dear Stonewall Democrat or Ally,

 2011 has been a year unlike no other. As this year draws to a close, it is so easy to look back and reflect upon the victories which were won, the history which we all had a hand in making. We passed Marriage Equality. We went to the White House. We repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the United Nations in adamant advocacy of the Obama administration for the humanity and civil rights of LGBTQ people the world over. And in 2012, we will go on to do more. 

 I remember back in January, as we began another year of working for Marriage Equality in New York. The outlook was bleak. While we'd had huge victories like Sen. Tim Kennedy defeating his anti-equality opponents in both the Democratic Primary and General Elections, we lost supporters such as former Sen. Antoine Thompson to a candidate who ran for election opposing equal marriage rights. Our new governor was Andrew Cuomo, but our State Senate was in Republican hands. But none of that was going to deter us or stop us from lobbying and pushing for the legislation that would make equal our state's marriage contract laws. 

 Months later, in June, after countless car rides back and forth to Albany, multiple lobby bus trips with Buffalo contingents for the Empire State Pride Agenda and Marriage Equality New York lobby and education days, victory came.  After gathering literally thousands of letters in support of Marriage from Western New Yorkers and beyond (I remember one woman we stopped outside at the Lady Gaga concert earlier this year, who lived in West Virginia but wanted her sister to have marriage equality here in NY so badly she wrote a letter to her sister's Senator Patrick Gallivan); after Kitty Lambert, Cheryle Rudd, myself and other members endured hate group the National Organization for Marriage in the state legislature's halls as we counter-protested in the days leading up to the vote-- where we were literally cursed at, spat upon and harassed-- after months of waiting, a vote was held. In the Assembly, our champions like Sam Hoyt and Danny O' Donnell delivered a passed bill. In the Senate, a late night vote made Buffalo proud with Sen. Kennedy's vote as promised, and Republican Sen. Mark Grisanti changing his stance with his vote, and joining the ranks of the brave few in the Republican Party who will stand up to the party's discriminatory platforms-- and he stood up for New York families, voting for Marriage Equality. 

 A historic victory, winning Marriage Equality in New York was the work of so many generations of Stonewall Democrats and WNY LGBTQ civil rights advocates; so enormously well-deserved, far long overdue. Because of the work of each and every one of you, New Yorkers are now free to marry who they love. Sadly, our federal marriage laws remain in need of equality, with the Defense of Marriage Act remaining law. But the act of New York State legislating Marriage Equality, the most populous state yet to do so, we have won one of the most important battles we will along the road to full LGBTQ equality. I thank each and every one of you who helped, came to Albany or a district office to lobby with us, who wrote or signed a letter and all who-- most importantly-- made their voices heard. Without you, we would not have Marriage in New York. 

 Fresh off the victory in New York, I had the distinct honor of being invited to the White House for President Obama's LGBT Pride Month Celebration. To attend a national gathering of LGBT rights activists, with Kitty Lambert-Rudd, was an incredible thing. Because of the incredible work SDWNY and all our WNY civil rights activists had done, we were recognized and respected by the President who has done more for LGBTQ rights than any other. It was the experience of a life-time to take you all with us to  the White House and President Obama, in such a place of American history, and bring attention to LGBTQ rights issues and grassroots activism.  

  And September brought the desperately long-awaited repeal of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy-- finally, allowing our best and bravest women and men who are lesbian and gay to serve their country the way America deserves: openly, honestly and with complete integrity. 

  Tragically, with these best of times came the worst. With September came another heartbreak of losing a youth to suicide because of  bullying. Every time we lose a youth to this senseless problem is a tragedy hard to comprehend-- and each time it hurts more. In Jamey Rodemeyer's case, the pain was local and so personal; having made a video for the "It Gets Better" campaign himself, Jamey had so many of the strengths needed to overcome the bullying of his peers, society and beyond-- and in the end, it was not enough. Each LGBTQ youth who finds no recourse but to take away the gifts of their owns lives feels, to me, such a personal failure, a failure of society. Because there's nothing that we can do, and so much we, others and society could have done. All we can do, in my opinion, is to continue to live openly and proudly-- advocating for the full equality of our community to become a reality in the world, and live as an example for our youth that it got better for us-- and it will get better for them, too. 

 Electorally, 2011 brought more of the highest victories and the most heartbreaking losses. In Erie County, SDWNY ally Mark Poloncarz soundly defeated incumbent Republican, anti-LGBTQ county Chris Collins, who had refused to add LGBT persons to the county's Equal Employment Opportunity policy, based on the fact it include non-discrimination of gender identity and expression. SDWNY member Greg Rabb was reelected as Jamestown City Council President, and Erie County Legislator Lynn Marinelli, long-time SDWNY ally member, was also reelected. With sad hearts and bittersweet emotions, we said goodbye to Assemblymember Sam Hoyt, when he accepted a position with Gov. Cuomo's administration this summer. Sam Hoyt's service for his community and particularly to the LGBTQ community was staunch and fierce, and we will forever be grateful for his advocacy, and his essential help in the passage of Marriage Equality. Fortunately, we now have Assemblymember Sean Ryan, also an ally member, who is firmly supportive on all issues of LGBTQ equality. 

 I would also like to thank outgoing Erie County Legislature Majority Leader Maria Whyte for her distinguished service in the legislature. During her terms as legislator, it was always nothing but an absolute pleasure to work with Legislator Whyte and her staff member Melissa Cummings on a wide-variety of progressive issues, not the least of which was LGBTQ equality. Always, Maria Whyte has been the absolute golden standard of a public servant. Maria's dedication to issues of what is right is unfailing. Always there, always right and always a fighter-- that is Maria Whyte. We congratulate Maria on her close, well and hard-fought campaign for Erie County Clerk-- and look forward to the great things which will come from her public service in years to come. 

 In closing, 2011 has been a year when so much work for the civil rights movement culminated in amazing victories. But there remains so much work to be done. To have full LGBTQ equality, we must-- as soon as possible-- pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act to allow that no New Yorker be discriminated against because of gender identity or expression. Federally, we must repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and pass a transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, as well as the Uniting American Families Act, to bring equality to our immigration laws. I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all you do to make Stonewall Democrats what we are-- and for all you will do to continue our good work. Every phone call you make, every door you knock on, every event you attend and every letter you sign brings us a step closer to GENDA, closer to the day when all Americans will be equal under the law. We have come so far, and will go the rest of the distance-- with your help. I thank you for being a Stonewall Democrat. 

Yours in equality, 

Bryan Ball


PS: If  you have not already done so, you may sign a GENDA support letter on our website, www.SDWNY.org. Thank you! 

Today, on this 13th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, we stop to recognize the transgender individuals who have fallen victim to transphobic hate violence in the past year and years past.

To continue losing these members of our family to senseless, bigoted violence is a national tragedy. While we continue to make progress on the civil rights and safety of transgender and gender non-conforming individual—such as the Massachusetts’ legislature recent passage of a transgender civil rights bill—we must call attention to the severe, devastating inequalities facing transgender and gender non-conforming Americans across what should be the land of the free. In New York State, we have yet to follow the 16 states which have gone before us in passing a gender expression non-discrimination bill. In our state, we still have New Yorkers who are denied the status of protected class, and discriminated against in housing, employment and credit among other areas. These inequalities, that transgender and other gender non-conforming people are not treated and protected equally under the law, must and will be addressed, so that we may all do everything we can to stop the loss of any transgender person to hate violence again.

“As Stonewall Democrats, we remain committed to working tirelessly to achieve the passage of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) in NYS and, ultimately, an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) at the federal level,” said Bryan Ball, SDWNY president. “The loss of our people, the members of our LGBTQ family, who we remember on this 13th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, can never be amended. In the face of such unspeakable violent tragedy, it is often difficult to find positive action we must take. But we must honor the memory of these individuals, and work to achieve full transgender and gender expression civil rights, so that we may do all we can to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future.”

We invite you to join the WNY LGBTQ community on Monday night, November 21, for our Transgender Day of Remembrance Service. The service will be held in Buffalo, at Buffalo United Artists, 119 Chippewa, beginning at 7PM. 

Please note that this month our membership meeting was rescheduled for Tuesday, November 29th at 7PM, to accommodate the Thanksgiving holiday the week prior. 

 Our agenda will include reviewing the election, planning for next year and planning for our annual winter fundraiser/holiday party. We hope to see you there! Agenda available below. As always, please feel free to email if you would like to see anything included on the agenda prior to the meeting. 

Dear Stonewall Democrat or Ally,

 I know you don’t need to be reminded, yet again, that this coming Tuesday, Novemeber 8 is the General Election in New York State. Every year, it seems, brings an election more important, more urgent than the last. And that is why I must stress that there is so much again on the line this year, for the future of equality in Western New York.

At the top of our ticket, we could not have two stronger allies positioned to lead Erie County into a better, more equal future. This year, our election could not more perfectly illustrate why we are Democrats, why we work of the people and for the people’s rights. On November 8, we will elect Mark Poloncarz as our County Executive, and end County Executive Chris Collins’ anti-LGBTQ term in office. Chris Collins has failed our cities, our towns, our villages and our county on so many issues such as health care, funding for our thriving artistic economy and the working class. But when Collins was faced with the opportunity to sign into policy an LGBTQ-inclusive Equal Employment Opportunity policy for the county—championed by Legislator Maria Whyte with bi-partisan support from the legislature—Chris Collins failed our community and families, and refused to sign the policy for the resolution included gender identity as a protected status. Thankfully, Mark Poloncarz is running to correct that inequality in the County Executive’s office. A longtime, staunch supporter of LGBTQ rights from marriage equality to gender expression non-discrimination, Mark Poloncarz knows how to stand up for all us and our families in WNY, and treat each resident, constituent and worker with the dignity and resecpt every individual is entitled.

Alongside Mark Poloncarz, this year we have Legislator Maria Whyte running for County Clerk. Throughout her tenure in the legislature Maria Whyte has done many amazing things. Always a voice for the voiceless and those in need, Maria Whyte has been one of the most true, fiercest and pro-active champions the LGBTQ community has in government. When Maria Whyte realized Erie County didn’t have an EEO policy for all people, she decided to do something about. When the County Executive attempted—and in some instances succeeded—in cutting vital funding and services to health care and the arts and culturals—Maria Whyte was there to stand for what is right. When I first met Maria, at a Stonewall Democrats meeting as a candidate running the first time for the legislature, I was stunned by her passion, sense of commitment and inherint knowledge of what is right. And from that moment on, Maria Whyte has made good on that promise. Always, Maria Whyte has been what the Stonewall Democrats of Western New York are all about: advancing the rights, well-being and human dignity of all people. And as our next County Clerk, Maria Whyte will take that accomplishment to the administration of county services, and continue the great work Congresswoman Kathy Hochul started in making the Clerk’s Office a better place for all residents of Erie County.

And how important this election is doesn’t stop in Erie County. In Jamestown, we will reelect City Council President Greg Rabb, the only openly gay elected official in WNY. In the City of Buffalo, we will reelect our champions on the Common Council, Councilmembers David Rivera and Michael LoCurto. And for the Erie County Legislature, our allies and friends will be reelected and elected with Legislator Lynn Marinelli, Jeremy Zellner and Joe Mascia. Each of these candidates is why the Stonewall Democrats of Western New York exist. With each of their elections, we will move one step closer to equal employment protections, gender expression non-discrimination, complete marriage equality and the entirety of LGBTQ civil rights. I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the work you all do to make Stonewall Democrats what we are today. For each of you who’ve helped us lobby an official or candidate, gather letters, phonebank, canvass or supported our work in some way—I thank you. Because of you, we exist to endorse the best candidates for the LGBTQ community, work to elect them and pass the legislation which will make it better for our community in WNY and beyond. I thank you, and I look forward to the victories we will have with your work, your help and your vote on November 8.

All the best,

Bryan Ball

SDWNY proudly announces our endorsement of Jeremy Zellner for the Erie County Legislature’s Fourth Disctirct. For years, Jeremy Zellner has worked hand in hand with the Stonewall Democrats as Executive Director of the Erie County Democratic Party, and has done much, along with Chariman Len Lenihan, to include LGBTQ persons and issues in the Democratic Party of Erie County.

A staunch supporter of progressive issues of equal rights, Jeremy Zellner has what it takes to win a seat currently held by an incumbent Republican, Kevin Hardwicke, who has been essential to County Executive Collins’ destructive agenda for Erie County. When elected to the Legislature, Jeremy Zellner wil continue to be one of our strongest allies in the passage of a LGBTQ-inclusive Equal Employment Opportunity Policy for the county, and on all issues of civil rights.

“If you have attended a Stonewall Democrats meeting, lobbied with us or worked a pro-equality campaign with us, you know Jeremy Zellner,” said SDWNY president Bryan Ball. “His work with us on behalf of the Democratic Party has been so welcomed, needed and helpful.  It’s a tremendous thing to see an ally such as Jeremy take the step to run for office, and run so strongly. Jeremy Zellner will be a full-time legislator for his constituents, and work his hardest and in the best interests of every woman, man and child of the fourth district.” 

Now is an exciting time for LGBTQ civil rights in New York State. With the passage of Dignity for All Students last year, and Marriage Equality only this past summer, the future for the Gender Expression-Non Discrimination Bill in NYS is bright. 

Here in Western New York, SDWNY and our great community of advocates have been actively lobbying all our state senators—and having an open dialog regarding the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination. As part of our lobbying, we have been running our GENDA letter campaign, focusing on the State Senate. If you have been one of the many 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 letter project 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 may receive an email and/or a phone call, 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. 

 If your Senator is Sen. Kennedy, please thank him for championing the GENDA bill. If your senator is Sen. Mark Grisanti, please thank him for his heroic support of Marriage Equality and ask he come out to support transgender civil rights for all New Yorkers, as well.