4/28/2015
By Ivan Pereira
As New York’s LGBT community waits for the Supreme Court to make its decision on marriage equality, city leaders say they hope the Big Apple’s recent movements can show the judges, “Love Can’t Wait.”
Elected officials like Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito urged the court to rule in favor of legalizing gay marriage nationwide.
Glennda Testone, the executive director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in New York City, said although New York’s marriage equality laws weren’t directly referenced during yesterday’s opening arguments, the measures are strong examples of how gay rights make communities better.
“Being in a state like New York where we have some protections shows that this is something that strengthens families and kids,” she said.
Testone said the LGBT activists she’s spoken to are optimistic that the court will recognize their rights, especially Edie Windsor, the plaintiff in the 2013 Supreme Court case that overturned the Defense of Marriage Act.
“We would love nothing more to have Edie celebrate this victory nationwide,” Testone said.
