Circa 2002, from the New York Times:
Tomorrow was supposed to be a shining moment for gay men and lesbians in the state. For the first time since a gay rights bill first surfaced in Albany 31 years ago, the State Senate plans to bring the measure to a vote, and the bill stands a chance of passing. Matt Foreman, the executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, called the long-awaited event ''simply extraordinary for our community.''
But at the 11th hour, dissent over the bill has caused some to question exactly who Mr. Foreman means when he says ''our community.''
The bill, which forbids discrimination in employment, housing, credit and public accommodations based on sexual orientation, and which has consistently been opposed by right-wing groups like the Conservative Party, is now under siege by those who feel that it does not go far enough because it does not explicitly protect transgendered people....
Mr. Foreman takes a pragmatic view, saying his organization has done the near-impossible by steering a gay rights bill -- any gay rights bill -- to the floor of the conservative Senate. ''No one's denying that transgendered people need protection. We're certainly not,'' he said. ''We're a political advocacy group. For us this isn't a morality play. This is about winning rights for people as quickly as we can.''
But, he said, it was too late to change the bill, largely because Senator Joseph L. Bruno, the majority leader, had committed only to allow the existing version of the bill to go to the floor, and has suggested that even that is a one-time offer. The Assembly has repeatedly approved the bill in its current form. If the Senate passes Sonda tomorrow, Gov. George E. Pataki has said he will sign it into law.
''The notion that you just suddenly and quickly and easily insert a whole new protected category, and that the State Senate that has clearly been reluctant to act on this would just accept it blindly, is beyond naïve,'' Mr. Foreman said.
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