By Evelyn Bailey
This month and next month’s Shoulders To Stand On will focus on the four Republican Senators who turned the tide on passing Marriage Equality here in New York State.
They were not the only Senators who voted for Marriage Equality. They are, however, the only Republican Senators and those with the most to lose. Those opposed to Marriage Equality are committed to defeating these men when they run for re-election. Their courage in standing and speaking out for what they believed was right needs to be acknowledged by publicly standing with them.
Jim Alesi was born on Feb. 23, 1948 in East Rochester. He received his BA from St. John Fisher in 1970, and began his public service career at a grassroots level more than 25 years ago as a Deputy Town (Republican) Leader for Perinton, and continued with his election to the Monroe County Legislature in 1989. In 1992, the Senator was elected to the New York State Assembly and he has been re-elected every two years since. He credits his passion for service to his father, the late judge Saverio C. Alesi.
On June 13, Sen. Jim Alesi said he would vote for same-sex marriage. Alesi said his decision to support same-sex marriage was a personal one. “It was very liberating,” Alesi said, describing how “anguishing” it was to vote against the bill in 2009. “If you live in America, and you expect equality and freedom for yourself, you have to extend it to others.” Alesi said he was “wrong” to vote no in 2009 and that he apologized for casting a “political vote.”
At the Marriage Equality Rally in Albany on June 21, Alesi’s remarks included the following:
“…About a week ago I lost what I thought were a lot of good friends, people that supported me. When I told them that I am committed to giving people who live in America what every American wants, they told me I was no longer their friend. I think I have some new friends. You are my friends, not because of politics. We live in the world of politics. All you have to do is look around here and you can see that politics dominates everything we do.
“There was a time when I had to anguish over voting on Marriage Equality. I no longer have to anguish. My vote will be YES. My name begins with A – Jim Alesi. I am the first Republican vote to be cast in the New York State Senate and I am proud to be a Republican.
“I will also be proud to be the first Republican voter to vote for Marriage Equality in this state… The word America means something to all of us. This is the land where freedom is supposed to prevail and for those who talk about freedom and being free I can tell you this you will never be free unless you give freedom to all the people who want freedom… We are all children of God walking on the face of the earth. As I said, if you want freedom and you believe in freedom then you have to give freedom, and embrace freedom, and endorse freedom. If you want equality and you believe in equality you will never be equal unless you treat people equally…”
Mark Grisanti joined Jim Alesi in voting yes for the Marriage Equality Act on June 24. Mark John Grisanti was born and raised in Buffalo. He is the youngest of six brothers and sisters. He graduated from Sweet Home High School and attended Canisius College, where he received his Bachelor’s of Arts degree in English.
After finishing his undergraduate degree he received his Juris Doctorate from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. After graduating law school Mark worked at his father’s law firm, that his grandfather founded in 1921. As a third generation attorney, Mark Grisanti has worked at his family’s practice for over 18 years.
Grisanti was defeated in the 2008 Democratic primary for the 60th Senate District, losing heavily to Antoine Thompson, 72 to 28 percent; Thompson went on to win the senate seat in the state’s 2008 general election. Grisanti stood for election to the State Senate seat again in the 2010 state senate elections. His 525-vote victory over incumbent Thompson, which was initially contested, was considered an upset.
The 60th Senate District is the most Democratic-leaning of the all Republican-held Senate seats, with 104,000 registered Democrats and 22,000 registered Republicans. Although Grisanti was a registered Democrat during the race, he received a waiver to run on the Republican line; after his victory, he agreed to caucus with Senate Republicans and switched his party registration to Republican.
On May 17, 2011, it was reported that Grisanti had publicly stated that he would vote “no” on same-sex marriage. On June 17, it was reported that he had changed his position on same-sex marriage to “undecided”.
On June 24, 2011 when the time arrived for Mark Grisanti to cast his vote for the Marriage Equality Act, he took the Senate floor to explain why he was about to break his promise.
…“I have stated that I have a problem with the term marriage. But at the same time I also said that I have a problem with the rights that are involved that are being overlooked.
“I have never in the past four months researched an issue or met with so many people and groups on a single issue such as this. I have struggled with this immensely, I can tell you that. I have read numerous documents, independent studies, talked with a lot of people on both sides of this issue.
“As a Catholic I was raised to believe that marriage was between a man and a woman. I’m not here however as a senator who is just Catholic. I’m also here with a background as an attorney, through which I look at things and I apply reason.
“I know that with this decision, many people who voted for me will question my integrity…. I tell you though that I have studied this issue. For those that know me, they know that I have struggled with it.
“To those whose support I may lose, please know that in the past what I was telling you, and what I believed at that time was the truth. But by doing the research and ultimately doing what I believe to be the right thing, to me shows integrity.
I would not respect myself if I didn’t do the research, have an open mind and make a decision — an informed decision — based on the information before me. A man can be wiser today than yesterday, but there’ll be no respect for that man if he has failed in his duty to do the work.
“I cannot legally come up with an argument against same-sex marriage. Who am I to say that someone does not have the same rights that I have with my wife who I love, or that have the 1,300-plus rights that I share with her?
“But there’s another important point here that this bill brings up, and that’s its religious protections. Because I am Catholic, under this bill the religious aspects and belief are protected as well as for not-for-profits…. As a lawyer I feel confident that the religious organizations and the others are protected.
“We in this state have recognized same-sex couples who are married in other states and are now in New York. I have read studies about civil unions that show that they do not work, and cause chaos. I believe this state needs to provide equal rights and protection to all of its residents.
“I struggled with the word marriage as between a man and a woman — that’s how I’m raised. But I also struggle with the rights that are lacking for same-sex couples, and I’ve stated this numerous times. I cannot deny that right or opportunity for someone nor stand in the way of allowing them to obtain the rights that I have.”