As people return to their computers — and “real life” — after a weekend, I wanted to draw attention to a video that appeared on the Internet on Friday from a late-night session . . . in the New York Senate.
If you’ve not yet watched openly gay, HIV-positive Senator Tom Duane’s gritty, moving 3 a.m. speech about legislation that he was sponsoring regarding cost-savings measures for people living with HIV/AIDS, you should. Now.
It’s about a whole lot more than legislation.
The bill, which “provides that persons living with clinical/symptomatic HIV or AIDS, and . . . receiving shelter assistance or an emergency shelter allowance, shall not be required to pay more than 30% of the household’s . . . income towards shelter costs, including rent and utilities,” later passed the Senate on a vote of 52-1.
[H/T to Andy Towle.]
Popularity: 7% [?]
Chris Geidner is the award-winning senior political editor at D.C.'s Metro Weekly and has written for The Atlantic Online, The American Prospect, Advocate.com, Salon and other publications, as well as at his blog, Law Dork. In 2011, he received the Excellence in News Writing Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his coverage of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal. Prior to moving to D.C. in 2009, he served as an attorney on the senior staff at the Ohio Attorney General's Office and had earlier worked for a leading Columbus law firm. An extended biography can be found
Wow! A democrat with balls! We need more men like him on the national level!
One could say balls, I tend to think Tom Duane’s just a mean SOB.
Of course, sometimes we need more mean SOBs on our side