It’s now been more than three weeks since any business has been taken up by the New York State Senate. When I returned to New York City from Albany yesterday there was still no sign of a break in the impasse that has stalled our state’s government for far too long now.

The reality is that the State Senate is at an impasse with a 31-31 split.  No legislation is being taken up in Albany—not ours or anyone else’s until the leadership dispute is resolved. Our job is to do everything we can to line up support for our bills so when the Senate returns to work, we can be part of their agenda.  

During the past few weeks of gridlock in Albany, thousands of you have called your State Senators and demanded that they get back to work so that same-sex couples can finally protect each other with the 1324 rights and benefits of a state marriage license; you’ve let them know that it’s unacceptable that we still live in a state where transgender New Yorkers can be fired from their jobs or kicked out of their homes simply because of who they are; and you’ve reminded them that countless LGBT students were counting down the days until the end of the school year because there is currently no policy in place that addresses the bullying and harassment that they face on a daily basis in their classrooms.

As you were “working the phones” these past three weeks and keeping your elected representatives accountable, the Pride Agenda staff and I were working the halls of the Capitol making sure that lawmakers know that our community cannot wait any longer to be treated equally by the laws of our state.

Personally, I’m frustrated.  That said, it is important for our community to stay informed and engaged. When all of this comes to an end—which we hope is sooner rather than later—we will need to make sure that the New York State Senate debates and votes on the issues that matter to our community.

While it is disappointing that I cannot at this moment give you a positive update on negotiations in the State Senate, the work that our community has done—and continues to do—across  New York makes me enormously proud. In fact, just this past weekend at New York City Pride, our largest marching contingent ever showed up to send a clear message it would be unacceptable for senators to come home from Albany without passing these crucial bills. Similarly, at other Pride events across the state from Buffalo to Long Island, we galvanized thousands of New Yorkers to put their pride into action and reach out to their legislators to demand progress on our issues.  Because of this passion and commitment that we’re seeing from all corners of the state, I know that we’ll be ready to move forward as soon as the Senate gets back to work.

The current mess in Albany is not of our making, but how we respond to it will have a direct affect on our legislative agenda. The challenges we face as individuals and as a community—because of the respect and equality we are still denied by our state government—are too great to simply sit by and do nothing. We have worked too hard and come too far.  Not passing these crucial bills is simply not an option. Our community does not give up. We don’t take “no” for an answer. We don’t make excuses for politicians. If we keep our heads down, if we roll up our summer sleeves and keep the pressure on, we win. So our work continues.

With hope and determination,

Alan Van Capelle

PS—Our staff has been working extraordinarily long hours with little time off to be with their families or even to celebrate Pride month. I often write to thank you for what you have done, but today I am asking you to write our staff and thank them for what they are doing seven days a week to keep the pressure on Albany. You can email them at thankyou@prideagenda.org  I know they would appreciate every note and it would mean a lot to me personally.