More stars in the entertainment business responded positively:
Naya Rivera, who plays the role of Santana, a lesbian student on the TV musical-comedy Glee, tweeted: "New York just made Santana a very happy woman! So happy for the countless peoples lives this will change."
Pink retweeted a New York Times story, and added: "CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! ABOUT TIME!."
Christina Applegate tweeted: "I am giddy! Congratulations New Yorkers. This is a proud moment! The way it should be! Love is love! Humans are humans!."
Televangelist Pat Robertson, 81, warned of an impending Sodom and Gamorrah class attack by God on America -- and presumably Canada, Spain, South Africa, the Netherlands, Belgium, and other countries that have legislated marriage equality. He told members of the 700 Club:
"I think we need to remember the term sodomy came from a town known as Sodom, and Sodom was destroyed by God Almighty and the thing that they practiced was homosexual activity and even they tried to rape angels who came down there, so that's the kind of people they were. But beyond that, Jesus when He spoke of Sodom He didn't say anything about the homosexuality he talked about just the fact that business was as usual until God decided to destroy it. And He sent an angel down there and He said to Lot and his family, 'get out now because I’m gonna destroy this whole area.' That's where sodomy came from, we use the term sodomy and it means Sodom. What's it like? We're heading that way as a nation. In history there's never been a civilization ever ... that has embraced homosexuality and turned away from traditional fidelity, traditional marriage, traditional child-rearing, and has survived. There isn't one single civilization that has survived that openly embraced homosexuality. So you say, 'What’s going to happen to America?' Well if history is any guide, the same thing's going to happen to us. ... It's not a pretty world we live in right now, and we need all of God's help we can get. And I don't [sic] think we are not exactly setting ourselves up for his favor." 1
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Michael Conley, former directory of public relations and education for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund -- a LGBT-positive advocacy group -- wrote:
Twenty-five years ago ... I arranged a series of public debates on the topic of gay marriage versus civil unions. I did so with casual indifference: like the fall of the Berlin Wall, gay marriage was not going to happen in my lifetime, so what was the point?
Twenty-five years from now, people will wonder what the big deal was. I hope that I will live to see that as well." 2
President Tony Perkins of the fundamentalist Christian advocacy group Family Research Council commented:
"Enormous political coercion has resulted in a profound failure of moral courage in the New York Senate. A clear majority of the people of New York oppose counterfeit 'marriage,' but Gov. Cuomo and anti-family lawmakers have shown that their allegiance is to a small but vocal minority seeking to redefine marriage and family.
The so-called religious protections that were tacked on to the bill will ultimately do nothing to protect the religious rights of New York citizens. As we go forward there is little doubt that the 'incentives,' some taxpayer funded, used to sway votes, especially Republican ones, will be exposed.
While it was the Democrats who were pushing this agenda, it is the Republicans in the NY Senate who ultimately allowed this to happen, especially Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. Sadly, the families of New York are not represented well by either of the state's major parties on this issue. This battle however, is not without its heroes. State Senator Ruben Diaz, Rev. Duane Motley, Jason McGuire and the National Organization for Marriage worked tirelessly for the families of New York in this battle, and they should be praised for their work - it is not all for naught.
The New York state legislature's denial of its citizens a chance to vote on the issue of marriage shows it is long overdue that the U.S. Congress begin taking these threats to marriage seriously. They should move to allow the people of the U.S. the right to vote on an issue they clearly understand, as evidenced each time the issue of marriage is put to a direct vote of the people." 3
PFLAG -- Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, released the following statement on 2011-JUN-24:
" 'We applaud Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State legislature for their historic vote in favor of marriage equality. This step towards equal civil rights -– in one of the largest states in our nation –- affirms recent polls that most Americans are now in favor of marriage equality for our LGBT loved ones. PFLAG mothers and fathers all over the state of New York will be celebrating with their sons and daughters, who can now legally marry the people they love in their hometowns,' said Jody Huckaby, Executive Director of PFLAG National."
" 'After years of actively fighting for marriage equality in New York State, I am elated that both of my sons – gay and straight – will now have the same basic civil right to marry the person they love in the state in which they were raised,' said Dale Bernstein, PFLAG National Board Member, PFLAG Mom, and lifelong New York resident." 4
Matt C. Abbott, a Roman Catholic columnist at www.RenewAmerica.com wrote:
"I share Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan’s deep disappointment in the legalization of gay marriage in the state of New York. Contraception, no-fault divorce, cohabitation and pornography have already severely undermined the sacred institution of marriage and the family. Gay marriage will only make things worse." 2
More stars in the entertainment business responded positively:
Televangelist Pat Robertson, 81, warned of an impending Sodom and Gamorrah class attack by God on America -- and presumably Canada, Spain, South Africa, the Netherlands, Belgium, and other countries that have legislated marriage equality. He told members of the 700 Club:
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