We honor all of our brothers and sisters who will now have an opportunity to participate in same gender unions, which our church has recognized for many years - well before any law.
We find this both curious and interesting that the passage of this law comes at the time of the anniversary of the death of Dr. Leo Louis Martello (June 29), who was an active proponent of gay rights in his lifetime, and who was present at the "Stonewall" incident. Leo organized the first "Witch-In" in Central Park, which the City attempted to prevent. More of that story is available from our biography of Dr. Martello under our Memorials link
We commend the New York legislature for recognizing that human rights, and constitutional rights extend well beyond the boundaries of specific religious cultures, and that our laws must evolve to meet those basic human needs.