I was very upset when I heard on the radio that the New York State Senate had defeated the Marriage Equality Act 38 votes to 24. I wasn't surprised, but I was still saddened that so many senators would choose to vote against the civil rights of a significant portion of Americans. On the subway while I took my daughters to school, I punched out this letter on my blackberry, and it captured my frustration and disappointment. USA TODAY published my letter on December 8, 2009 as part of a series of letters on gay marriage:

The New York State Senate has once again failed New Yorkers and Americans alike by voting down a bill that, in a truly fair world, should never have been a deliberation. Marriage equality is as rational and inalienable a right as any promised in our founding documents. If gay Americans do not deserve to be treated equally, then they should be run out of town, and the 38 senators who voted to deny these rights should be waving sticks and leading the pack.