| TESTIMONY TO THE
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL
COMMITTEE
ON GENERAL WELFARE
March 1, 2007
Chairman DeBlasio and City Council Members, thank you for
this opportunity to testify before you today on this crucial
piece of legislation. My name is Daryl Cochrane. I am the
Assistant Director of Government Relations at Gay Men's Health Crisis.
GMHC is the world's oldest AIDS service provider, serving
over 15,000 men, women, children and their families each year. A
quarter of a century ago we became the first in the fight against
AIDS, then known as "gay cancer", and simply worked to help those
gay men die with dignity. Since those humble beginnings, the
AIDS epidemic has spread throughout every community in our society,
touching every New Yorker and every American. Despite this shift of
the epidemic, 65 percent of our client base still identifies as gay,
lesbian, or bisexual. GMHC's dedication to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
and Transgender community is unwavering.
We have long fought for the civil rights of all New Yorkers,
regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. In
that vein, we wholeheartedly support the Domestic Partners for Full
Equality Bill. We applaud the efforts of the City Council a decade
ago to begin to address the disparity between same-sex relationships
and heterosexual relationships in the law. Whereas the enumerated
rights made sense back then, more must be done, and this bill seeks
to do just that.
The expansion of rights for Domestic Partners is a step in the
right direction for New York City and is in line with the current
climate of equality. Many of our neighboring states in the region
have taken steps to grant full equality for same-sex couples — Vermont,
Connecticut, and New Jersey with Domestic Partnership rights, and
Massachusetts with full marriage equality. This bill will go a
long way to bring us closer in line with the rights afforded to our neighbors.
GMHC has long been at the intersection of LGBT civil rights
and LGBT health. This bill will ensure better physical and mental
health for the LGBT community. By bestowing greater equality for
our City's Domestic Partners, this bill will give them a greater
sense of security and provide greater options when it comes to health
care decision making. Having the ability to participate fully in the
benefits and obligations long associated with marriage will give LGBT
couples an ability to care for one another with the knowledge that health
care decisions can be made without question from various government
authorities and health care providers.
Gay Men's Health Crisis supports full marriage rights for same-sex
couples. But until the State of New York grants such rights, the City of
New York must do all in its power to protect the health and well-being of
same-sex couples. The Domestic Partners for Full Equality Bill accomplishes
that goal. Special thanks to Speaker Christine Quinn, Chairman Bill DeBlasio,
and Council Members Rosie Mendez and Maria Baez for introducing this remarkable
piece of legislation.
GMHC urges you all to support this bill and further protect LGBT New Yorkers. Thank you.
© 2007 Gay Men's Health Crisis |
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