Graziemille Governor Andrew Cuomo

We the undersigned Italian Americans, and friends, do heartily thank you, Governor Andrew Cuomo, for promoting and signing the landmark legislation: Marriage Equality Act, of the great state of New York.

We thank you for your progressive stewardship. You are the Italian American role model we now name, when speaking of an Italian American visionary leader.

We are proud of you. You have shown real leadership in a world where ethical and moral positions are too regularly compromised by the commerce of politics. You have renewed our spirit as Italian-Americans.

We praise all New York State Senators who voted YES for Marriage Equality, and especially acknowledge our Italian-American senators: Joseph Addabbo, Tony Avella, Diane Savino, David Carlucci, James Alesi, Mark Grisanti. 

We, the undersigned, are artists, professors, authors, activists, doctors, community organizers, and workers from all sectors of society.  We have never been inspired to come together in this way to write a letter of gratitude to any of our elected officials.  We take this step today because your actions have so inspired us.

We are gay, straight, bi, trans, radical and conservative, young and old, citizens of the U.S.A., cittadini of our homeland Italia.  We are New Yorkers by birth, by move, by immigration, by work.

We have worn the SILENCE = DEATH t-shirts of the gay and lesbian movement of the ‘80’s, and now in 2011, we wear the = sign t-shirts.

Let it be known, that during Governor Andrew Cuomo’s tenure, the words “silence” and “death” were dropped from LGBTQ vocabulary, and only = remains.

EQUAL EQUAL EQUAL