Writing at the Huffington Post, Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon salutes the "yes" vote of New York Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson, whose emotional floor speech supporting marriage equality was widely praised. The actress describes meeting the "fierce" new ally:
Our gang of four met with her last spring and she explained to us in depth, over a long and respectful meeting why she thought she was going to vote no on gay marriage. Senator Hassell-Thompson is deeply religious. She felt strongly that marriage always has been and always should be the union between a man and a woman. But she is a careful, thoughtful person and you could see her weighing the issue again and again in her mind. And in her considering she stumbled across something in her personal experience that began to change her perspective.
She spoke about how her mother had been a deacon in their church at a time when previously only men had been deacons. And how controversial that had been. And how vehemently many people opposed her mother's appointment. And how none of those opposed could give any explanation for why her mother becoming a deacon was wrong, just that it was. Because it was new. Because it was shocking. Because it was an idea that took people a little time to get used to.
On Wednesday Ruth Hassell-Thompson voted yes. She voted yes because gay people and straight people walked through her door in droves and wrote her letters and called her on the phone. And because she is a person of conscience. And because of one more thing that she didn't tell us in her office that day: because she has a brother who is gay.
Read more of Cynthia Nixon's essay at HuffPo ...
Watch Hassell-Thompson's powerful testimony, if you missed it here earlier, AFTER THE JUMP ....
Ruth Hassell Thompson's floor speech brought me to tears. God bless her.
And thank you for lobbying her Cynthia. I love you, I loved Sex and the City and love what you are doing for our community.
Posted by: Gerrell | 04 December 2009 at 19:41
The best speech from Wednesday.
Posted by: GRANT | 04 December 2009 at 20:09
Ruth Hassell Thompson didn't just advocate in the NY State Senate, she TESTIFIED.
As soon as I am financially able, I will send her as generous a donation as I can.
And then some.
Posted by: Chitown Kev | 05 December 2009 at 08:46
It was quite moving. I think it was rude for the folks behind her to hold conversations and move about when someone is speaking. Hey but she was right about electing them as leaders.
Posted by: Cedric | 06 December 2009 at 13:14
It takes a lot to satnd up for an oppressed goup when it is popular to just sit back and attack. I have respect for this woman I don't even know because she took the time to see parallels of oppression in her own life and how this issue affects her through people she loves. Kudos to her for doing something that people will criticize her for but something that was right, standing up for an oppressed group that she doesn't even belong to.
Posted by: dt | 06 December 2009 at 15:09
I think that more people like her needs to stand alone instead of stand with a crowd. Even though she is not gay it took courage to stand up for what some would call a loosing battle. I do hope one day, before I become too old, that gays will have more rights then what we have now.
Posted by: William Lavender | 06 December 2009 at 15:42