Gay rights activists in New York, buoyed by the state senate defeat of gay marriage opponent Hiram Monserrate, are renewing their fight to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, hoping to bring the issue back to the Senate floor as early as next year.
This week, Fight Back New York claimed victory when a candidate who has a record of supporting gay marriage won a special election to succeed Monserrate, who voted against the marriage bill in December.
Tonight we celebrate the defeat of Hiram Monserrate and the election of pro-equality Senator-elect Jose Peralta.
Since we launched three weeks ago, Fight Back New York has been about you — you and hundreds of thousands of people across New York and the country who are tired of seeing LGBT New Yorkers treated like second-class citizens by the 38 State Senators who voted against marriage equality.
This victory is yours.
Angered by the last year’s defeat of the gay marriage bill, a group of well-financed gay rights advocates launched the political action committee to take aim at state senators who have opposed same-sex marriage.
Monserrate, a Democrat from Queens, filed as an Independent candidate in a special election to reclaim the seat he lost after the State Senate expelled him on February 9. Monserrate was convitected for assaulting his girlfriend.
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