By: Martin Rand, III
Date: August 15, 2011
Earlier this summer, New York passed a bill that would allow gay people to marry. New York became the sixth state to approve gay marriage. While many states continue to go against the Constitution of the U.S., New York State has stepped into the 21st century.
Although, it would seem like this should've been done a long time ago because there are a lot of openly gay people living in New York and has a strong gay community. The governor of New York even said the people were the main reason this bill needed to be signed into law. Which got me thinking, why wait until now to get a bill like this signed?
The answer has nothing to with the gay people living in New York and everything to do with the gay people living outside of New York.
New York has been losing population over the last decade. From 2000-2008, New York lost more residents than every other state. The reasons for the lost of population: 1) The price of things in New York are expensive, 2) The infrastructure of New York is getting old and needs a lot of renovation and 3) People have been moving from the Frost Belt States (like a New York) to the Sun Belt States (like an Arizona). According the 2010 Census, New York is still losing population to other states.
Now, will this new bill be enough for gay people to go against everything I just mentioned and move to New York? I'm not sure, but I know the state's government hopes so. It needs the increase in population. Why? Power in Congress. New York recently lost two congressional seats because of its lower population. New York Legislature's thinking is this: more gay people, means higher population, which means we get our seats back.
I must admit, I would love it if this bill were passed simply for the people of New York. To know that a state government actually cares about its citizens and wants them to be happy would be a gratifying moment in my life. Unfortunately, this isn't the case here. Once again, a bill was passed, not for the people, but for the politicians who just want to regain a little bit of their lost power in Washington. Whether this plan works or not, I can say that giving people the right to live their lives as they wish is the best thing for the state of New York.
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