Sunday morning began as many Sundays do, in a church. Our Canton hosts graciously took us to their local United Methodist church. After our daily ritual of Dunkin Donuts coffee, we went back to Dan’s to prepare for the afternoon pot luck. Local supporters came out to hear our stories, ask questions, and find their own ways to get involved. A PFLAG mom shared her concerns of whether her daughter’s union will be legally recognized. All of the residents seemed very energized by the Walk A Mile In My Shoes idea and I’m confident Senate Majority Leader Bruno can be expecting a few more pairs!

As we travel across the state, one thing continues to strike me: normalcy. As I walk into each new house that we stay in, I feel as if I’m walking into my own family’s home. Framed pictures line the walls, children’s artwork hangs on the refrigerator. I wonder what the marriage equality opponents would say while standing in these homes. Would they see the destruction of the institution of marriage or the enrichment of it? I have to imagine it would be the latter.

I am constantly inspired by the men and women of New York that I met along the way and grateful for the excellent model of commitment and marriage which they have modeled for me, even in the absence of legal recognition.

By Meg Sneed

This morning we packed up our belongings from our “home” in Plattsburgh and headed on a scenic drive to Lake Placid. When we arrived in town the streets where lined with people who were in town for the Ironman that was taking place that weekend in Lake Placid. We picked up a wedding cake and headed to main street in our “Do you believe in Marriage? I do.“ t-shirts and picked a spot near the water to start handing out wedding cake. With the cake we also handed out literature that explained the importance of Gay Marriage and how for us Marriage is not “A piece of cake”. Because it was iron man weekend giving away cake turned out to be a little more difficult than we first imagined, but even when people where unwilling to take a piece of cake they often took literature and were open to dialog with us.

We found that there were a lot of Canadians in town many of whom where shocked that in the U.S. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Americans do not have equal marriage rights. There was a man who walked by and said that he would take a piece of cake because he had voted yes on the bill, and it turned out to be an Assemblyman of the 121st district Al Stirpe. There was a mother and a daughter who stated that because of the Bible they could not be for Marriage Equality and they had an at length discussion with Brian and Matt about the Bible and homosexuality. We also spoke to many New Yorkers including two straight couples with young children who stated that they saw Marriage Equality as a Civil Rights Issue.

At the end of our day in Lake Placid we gave away 100 pieces of cake and handed out literature and started the conversation about Marriage Equality with New Yorkers, Canadians, and Americans from across the United States. From here we will be headed to Canton, New York.

Originally written by Cat Forrester

We left Albany and headed to Fort Edward to meet with Assemblyman Roy McDonald. However, he was not available to speak with us, so we spoke with his chief of staff, Mark Luciano. It was a fairly frustrating meeting, as Mark assured us that he understood and respected our cause, but still suggested that we should take a different tactic, faulting “touchy-feely” reasons, such as the relationship component of marriage, for the failure of the bill to be heard in the Senate or strongly supported in the Assembly. He also urged us to understand that while our struggle was totally valid, the political process and “the system” were working against us and offered to help advise us on how to improve our campaign.

We tried to convey to Mr. Luciano that the mission of Soulforce Q and of the Right to Marry Campaign is not solely to encourage the passage of this bill, but rather to talk to New Yorkers about marriage equality, and to change the hearts and minds of those opposed to equality in New York State.

Meeting with Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward in Glens Falls was a welcome follow-up to our meeting at Assemblyman McDonald’s office. Sayward was one of only four Republicans to vote yes on the marriage equality bill, and the only Republican co-sponsor. We brought her a vase of flowers in shades of purple and pink to show our appreciation of her support. She spoke to us about her gay son and shared her conviction that once you accept the premise that being GLBT is not a choice, it becomes clear that marriage equality is a civil rights issue and not a moral or religious issue. Meeting with her was both encouraging and inspiring.

After leaving Assemblywoman Sayward’s office, we piled in the van and headed to Plattsburgh, where we would be staying at the house of Jen and Staci and their daughter Amelia, who were offering up their home to us although they were out of town. Their friend Amanda let us into the house, pointing out the vegetable garden and the cat, O’Malley. Their house is beautiful and charming, and we have been infused with a new passion to help people like Staci, Jen and Amelia to be able to protect their family.

By Rob Fojtik

We met with Republican Assemblywoman Janet Duprey in Plattsburgh today, who had voted against marriage equality when Gov. Spitzer’s bill was up for a vote. She’s a good friend of Assemblywoman Sayward, and at the time of the vote, she was extremely torn on the issue. After the bill passed the lower house, she was quoted in a local newspaper as being completely for some legal recognition of same-sex relationships, such as civil unions, but said she would need more education on the issue of marriage per se.
Since that vote, she has been called, written to, and visited by many on the side of equality, and it seems she may be more educated if the bill is reintroduced in 2009 (it can still be voted on in the Senate in 2008 before it has to be reintroduced in the Assembly). She cited the American Academy of Pediatrics report on same-sex child rearing, in which the importance of marriage is extolled, as a major influence in her reconsideration of marriage equality. She wouldn’t promise a vote “yes” if there is a next time, but I think it is safe to say she will make a better-informed decision.
After meeting with Ms. Duprey, the Unitarian Universalists of Plattsburgh hosted us for a potluck barbeque and a showing of the documentary “I Can’t Marry You.” There was a pretty good turn out, and plenty of discussion. We left them with some buttons and some literature to pass out to their friends, and with any luck, people will keep this important discussion about equality going.

By now we are a few days into the New York Right to Marry campaign. With grassroots activism comes limited resources and internet isn’t a top priority. Luckily we’ve been blessed with houses and churches who have internet to share and here in Plattsburg, we found a great coffee shop–Koffee Kat–to sit in and work while talking with locals and of course, drinking some coffee!

I sat down with a few RtM participants before we departed Albany to talk about why marriage matters. Here’s what they have to say: