“The moment my mom told me we had tickets, I said, ‘We have to go!’” Sidney said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The two girls had very different inauguration experiences. Sidney got tickets from a family friend and attended with her mother; while Lucy, who had gone to the 2008 inauguration, did not have tickets. She went anyway, and stood with her family amid the throng of enthusiastic Americans near the Capitol.

“It was really cool to look behind me and see thousands of people watching the same thing,” Lucy said.

But it was also pretty frustrating, she conceded, because the Jumbotron malfunctioned and she was not able to see the president’s speech.

Her friend Sidney, on the other hand, felt fortunate and elated because her inauguration tickets included exclusive passes to a candlelight reception at the National Building Museum. There, she got to see the president and vice president somewhat up close and personal.

Neither girl actually had the opportunity to meet the president, but they were in awe of being so close to him.

“If I met the president, I really don’t think I’d be able to say anything!” Lucy said.

For both girls though, attending the inauguration was more than just a novelty experience; they are personally interested in many of the most pressing national issues.

“I’m really interested in health care, because my father is a doctor,” Sidney said. “I don’t like seeing people suffer.”

After thinking for a moment, Lucy, the quieter of the two girls, spoke up about her political passion.

“I really want gay marriage to be legalized,” she said.

“Oh yeah!” Sidney chimed in. “Equality for everyone is important too.”

And as two young women in an all-girls’ school, both Lucy and Sidney agreed that first lady Michelle Obama is someone to look up to.

“She’s such a role model!” Sidney gushed. “I want to be just like her.”

by Alan Chartock

Conservative predictions about gay marriage haven’t come true

What was all the fuss about? Gays and lesbians wanted to marry. You’d have thought the world was going to explode. Nothing made for better news copy. Some evangelicals literally raised hell; we were Sodom and Gomorrah. God would punish us. Leviticus in the Bible was quoted again and again: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” We were about to revisit Jonah’s Nineveh. The cry urging repentance was heard throughout the land.

Incredibly, an awful lot of people went along with the bigotry and nonsense and more than a few still do. But, as so often happens, an oppressed group followed Joe Hill’s advice and went on to organize. Since the Stonewall riots in New York’s Greenwich Village, gays have been turning on their oppressors and saying “Enough.”

From then until now, tremendous strides have been made. Our politicians have eschewed the old safe road that condoned bigotry; kicking and screaming, they have been turned around. Sure, some have done so for so-called “political reasons,” but that’s OK. It is classic Americana that getting politicians to have some guts is always helped along by the old labor leader Samuel Gompers’ message that we reward our friends and punish our enemies.

No one likes to recognize it, but even President Barack Obama was late to the marriage equality party. That’s OK; at least he seems to have gotten there. In New York State, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is portrayed as a hero for kicking legislators in both parties until they did the right thing. That may be true, or perhaps he saw a wonderful opportunity to cover his blue dog conservative Democratic tracks by supporting a gay rights campaign.

Frankly I don’t give a damn, since he did the right thing. His father, Mario, found a lot of similar traction in his stance on the death penalty. They both did what was right and were rewarded for it.

I love the fact that what started as one of the biggest political battles in New York is already being taken for granted. There will be no retreat. There will be no return to the bad old days. The same thing happened with abortion, and many of the same political forces and coalitions were behind the rear guard there, too. One can only wonder what in the world the conservatives see in this, as they always push to stay in office and to survive.

I have talked to many of these politicians and they always tell me the same thing: The most important thing is “the sanctity of the family.” I often ask them how gay marriage desanctifies marriage or goes against natural law. They always mumble and repeat themselves. At that point, there is little you can do. When asked why two people who love each other shouldn’t be allowed to marry, they come back with all that mumbling again.

This brings us back to Chartock’s first law of politics. It’s called political saliency. That means that many folks vote based on a single overriding concern. In some cases, the issue is a woman’s right to choose. In others, it’s the political survival of Israel. Here, it’s a gay or lesbian couple’s right to marry, to have families, to be able to visit a loved one in the hospital.

So gays and lesbians and their allies got together and, like the little engine that could, they began to climb that mountain very slowly. But when they reached the top, they picked up speed. They’re not there yet. Not in places like North Carolina, where people get behind that voting curtain and let all their bigotry hang out. But in New York, in Massachusetts and in so many other states, it turns out, it’s no big deal.

So what was all that fuss about, anyway?

Alan S. Chartock is president and CEO of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio and an executive publisher at The Legislative Gazette.

Tom Duane in 1988 during his first City Council run.

Supported tenant’s rights, LGBT issues for more than 20 years

New York State Sen. Tom Duane surprised both political insiders and constituents alike last month when he announced he would not be running for re-election after representing a district that stretched from the Upper West Side to Greenwich Village to the East Village for the past 14 years.

Duane, first elected to the Senate in 1998 after serving in the City Council for seven years, said in a statement that he needed to embark on a “new chapter” in his life. He did not disclose exactly what that new chapter would entail, but instead said he would address the issue when his term in office ends Dec. 31 of this year.

As the Senate’s first openly gay and HIV-positive legislator, Duane championed causes that resonated with the LGBT community, including the Marriage Equality Act, the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act, the Dignity for All Students Act, comprehensive hate crime legislation and prison reform. He has also been a staunch supporter of tenant’s rights, affordable housing and campaign finance reform.

Our Town Downtown caught up with Duane recently as he discussed some of the highlights of his seven terms in Albany as well as the road that lies ahead.

What did you do before getting into politics?
I’ve done a bunch of different jobs over the years, even before I got into politics—everything from being a high school teacher to advertising and working as a public relations person for the Department of Health, then working as a stock broker for a small Wall Street company.

What effect, as a member of the LGBT community, do you think you had on the Senate?
I think that because of the entire 14 years I served in the Senate, I was the only openly gay person—and of course I had been open about my HIV status, even prior to my election to the City Council in 1991—I think that the New York State Senate needed me desperately so that the state could make progress on LGBT issues, HIV/AIDS policy and help stop the criminalization of HIV through the law. I believe my presence also helped reduce, but certainly not eliminate, the stigma of the disease in New York City and throughout the state.

An early photo of Tom Duane with his former chief of staff, Christine Quinn. "When I was about 24-25, I was running Tom Duane's campaign for City Council. I hadn't come out at the time, but at some point I told Tom I really needed to talk to him. His initial reaction was, 'Oh my God, you're not quitting are you?' And when I said no, he immediately responded with, 'Oh, do you want to tell me you're gay?' "-City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Did you ever experience any discrimination or were you made to feel uncomfortable as an openly gay senator?
I had been told that there was some trepidation about my arrival in the Senate; my colleagues knew that I had been a member of Act-Up [a gay rights advocacy group]. If there was any covert discrimination directed towards me, I either wasn’t aware of it or I simply ignored that it was happening. I threw myself into the work and that’s how my colleagues on both sides of the aisle got to know me. Further, I believe that my presence helped educate my colleagues on the ways that HIV was and wasn’t spread. I think that I was likely the first to talk about oral and anal intercourse on the Senate floor. I helped to prevent laws that might have been otherwise rooted in misconceptions from being passed, further isolating and discriminating against people with HIV.

Can you talk about some accomplishments you’re most proud of?
Virtually every piece of legislation I passed in both the City Council and the Senate helped a segment of people who may have not been helped as quickly if I hadn’t been as active and perseverant as I was. Tenant issues, HIV issues and LGBT issues—even before I was elected to office, these were important issues to me.

We forced then-Mayor Giuliani to put in place domestic partnerships in New York City—at the time that was historic. Also of great importance to me has been getting the city’s Department of Health to institute the best protocols in prisons regarding the treatment of Hepatitis C and HIV. I’m also proud of my work to allow victims of human trafficking to get their records expunged. In addition, I got Sen. Joe Bruno to come around on the issue of same-sex civil marriage.

You endorsed Brad Hoylman as your successor. What kind of senator do you think he would make?
I’ve known Brad since 2001; he’s my friend and he’s also been asked to chair Community Board 2 several times—for the Village, that’s almost unheard of. I think Brad will make a terrific elected official. I know his conscience and his core beliefs and I would be very proud to have him represent me. He’s always been a partner in things I’ve fought for in the Senate and in New York City and he’s also partnered in many other causes and beliefs I feel strongly on.

What will you miss about office when you leave in December?
I’ll be saddened to leave many of the great people I’ve worked with over the years. In various ways, I will miss staff on both sides of the aisle. I’ve loved all my constituents in the various neighborhoods I’ve represented and I will miss them greatly. Also, the people from the Upper West Side down to Chinatown and the Village all came together, especially around the Sept. 11 attacks. It was inspiring the way everyone pulled together. I will really miss my colleagues in government, such as Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Council Member Rosie Mendez and many others.

In general, I love New York City neighborhoods and I love New York City and that’s one of the main reasons I’m coming home: because I miss my neighborhood. I missed being home in a city I love, neighborhoods that I love. I represent the most wonderful people in the world.

Are there things about being in Albany that you will not miss?
Packing on Sunday nights. It was difficult for every emotional reason you could imagine a person has when they leave home to go on a business trip—and I did this for every weekend, six months out of every year. The majority of the years it was January through June. I will not miss the packing on Sunday nights! The groceries are cheaper in Albany, but I’m willing to pay more for food to stay in New York City.

The bottom line is that I spent too much time on the New York State Thruway!

Do you feel you left anything undone in the Capitol?
More needs to be done with our criminal justice system so that it’s more about rehabilitation than punishment, and there are also still some loose ends surrounding the marriage equality bill. We also need to put a stop to hydrofracking around New York State—not just around the watershed.

Any ideas on what’s next?
I have ideas, but can’t share them until Jan. 1. That’s just my nature. It will be something that will help people, because that’s my calling.

Sen. Tom Duane

Senator Tom Duane, a longtime outspoken gay-rights activist, is leaving the State Senate on January 1st after a prolific 14-year career representing Manhattan communities from East Midtown, Downtown and the Upper West Side. Duane says he’s ready to move on with his life, though he plans to remain active in pursuing the agenda items most important to him in whatever way he can. We spoke to the Senator about his reasons for retiring and his plans for the future.

What made you decide not to seek reelection?

I’ve been here for seven terms, I wanted to do something else and realized it’s time to start the next chapter.

How have you seen state politics evolve in the course of your career?

I’ve seen much of the legislation I pushed for have a direct impact on people’s lives. I’ve seen these things spread to other cities and states as well. It’s been important to me to work hard to pass legislation that serves as a model for other cities.

What were the defining moments of your career as a member of the Senate?

I think I set a good example in that every piece of legislation I pushed for, whether in the minority or majority, [and] had support from both sides of the aisle. I also made a direct impact on people’s lives passing legislation on hate crimes, health care, marriage equality, gender identity expression and sex trafficking. I supported the Midwifery Modernization act to allow nurse midwives to practice in New York State. I’ve supported routine HIV testing and helped lessen the stigma, particularly within correctional facilities. I also supported the prohibition of insurance companies to create tier four drugs with incredibly expensive co-payments.

What are your plans now that you have made the decision to retire from the Senate?

I would say “retire” is not a completely accurate term, I’m just not ready for reelection. I plan to continue working in my own small way to make the world a better place, I’m just not sure of the form of that yet. I plan to indulge in the luxury of thinking about what that may be. I hope to continue working for those who have not had a voice in government. I will still focus on working incredibly hard until the end of my term on January 1st.

What will you miss the most?

I’ll miss the challenges of garnering the widest possible support for issues I believe in, especially from people who have not shared my points of view. I’ll miss finding that common ground, and working with people in a collegial manner to pass bills that help people in a way they should be helped. Now I’ll be doing that in a different way than in elected office.

—Alissa Fleck