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Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The Soloist Project - Central New York Kickoff


If you got here from Twitter, you've taken the first step toward showing Central New York that you support LGBT equality! Now you're just seconds away from sending a letter to your local newspaper. Please click the link below and raise your loving voice above the chorus of hate, anger and misunderstanding.


For more on this project, see below.





Last week Senator David Valesky voted "Yes" on S4401, the gay marriage bill. As the Syracuse Post Standard noted, he was the only Central New York senator to do so.

I think this deserves a big "Thank you!". That's why I wrote this letter, which was published in the Post Standard and will supposedly be printed tomorrow in the Madison County Courier.
To the Editor:

Wednesday the New York Senate voted 38-24 against S4401, “An act to amend the domestic relations law, in relation to the ability to marry.” I’m disappointed, but not surprised. Neither am I particularly discouraged.

A New York Times article said that “The vote means that the bill, pushed by Gov. David A. Paterson, is effectively dead for the year and destroys the optimism of gay rights advocates.”

The Times is dead wrong. My optimism is not destroyed. Far from it. I’m delighted with those numbers: 38-24. That means that 39 percent of New York state senators voted for marriage equality. Just 10 or 20 years ago, that would have been unimaginable. That is breathtaking progress.

Of the six senators from Central New York, only Sen. David J. Valesky voted “yes” on S4401. Sen. Valesky: Thank you. You bolster my faith that I will live to see gay people attain the same legal rights that I take for granted.

Hugh Yeman
Larchmont
But I think it deserves a bigger "Thank you!" than that. As a matter of fact, I think it deserves a "Thank you!" from every LGBT individual and ally in the Central New York area.

I've been meaning to start a nationwide grassroots letter-to-the-editor campaign ever since I had the thrilling experience of seeing my letter about the Link Trail published in the Oneida Daily Dispatch. This represents the perfect first step.

It will take a long time to develop a database of all U.S. newspapers along with their editorial contact information and/or their online letter submission URL. But, by limiting myself to Senator Valesky's district, I was able to put together just such a list in a fairly short amount of time.

So now that I have my list, all I need to do is start Twittering, like so.
#LGBT and allies near Lenox, NY! Would you please write a letter to Madison Eagle? [link to this page]
Let's see what happens.



LIST OF CENTRAL NEW YORK NEWSPAPERS BY TOWN






























































BaldwinsvilleBaldwinsville MessengerEditor: Erin Smith
Email: messenger@cnylink.com
BridgeportMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
CamillusEagle ObserverEditor: Ami Olson
Email: aolson@cnylink.com
CanastotaMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
CazenoviaCazenovia Pilothttp://www.cazpilot.com/wordpress/index.php/forum/
CazenoviaCazenovia RepublicanEditor: Doug Campbell
Email: republican@cnylink.com
ChittenangoMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
CiceroStar ReviewEditor: Farah Jadran Pike
Email: fpike@cnylink.com
ClayStar ReviewEditor: Farah Jadran Pike
Email: fpike@cnylink.com
DeWittDeWitt TimesEditor: Tami Zimmerman
Email: bulletin@cnylink.com
DeWittEagle BulletinEditor: Tami Zimmerman
Email: bulletin@cnylink.com
EatonMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
ElbridgeEagle ObserverEditor: Ami Olson
Email: aolson@cnylink.com
ErievilleCazenovia RepublicanEditor: Doug Campbell
Email: republican@cnylink.com
FairmountEagle ObserverEditor: Ami Olson
Email: aolson@cnylink.com
FayettevilleEagle BulletinEditor: Tami Zimmerman
Email: bulletin@cnylink.com
FennerCazenovia RepublicanEditor: Doug Campbell
Email: republican@cnylink.com
HamiltonMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
HamiltonMaroon Newshttp://www.maroon-news.com/options/send-a-letter-to-the-editor
HamiltonMid York Weeklyhttp://media.uticaod.com/editorial/tools/share/submit_letter.php
Jack's ReefEagle ObserverEditor: Ami Olson
Email: aolson@cnylink.com
JordanEagle ObserverEditor: Ami Olson
Email: aolson@cnylink.com
KirkvilleMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
LakeportMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
LenoxMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
LincolnMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
LiverpoolStar ReviewEditor: Farah Jadran Pike
Email: fpike@cnylink.com
LysanderBaldwinsville MessengerEditor: Erin Smith
Email: messenger@cnylink.com
MadisonMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
ManliusEagle BulletinEditor: Tami Zimmerman
Email: bulletin@cnylink.com
MarcellusEagle ObserverEditor: Ami Olson
Email: aolson@cnylink.com
MemphisEagle ObserverEditor: Ami Olson
Email: aolson@cnylink.com
MinoaEagle BulletinEditor: Tami Zimmerman
Email: bulletin@cnylink.com
MorrisvilleMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
NelsonCazenovia RepublicanEditor: Doug Campbell
Email: republican@cnylink.com
New WoodstockCazenovia RepublicanEditor: Doug Campbell
Email: republican@cnylink.com
North SyracuseStar ReviewEditor: Farah Jadran Pike
Email: fpike@cnylink.com
OneidaMadison County CourierMartha Conway, Editor/Reporter 315-813-0124 or martha@m3ppublications.com
OneidaMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
OneidaOneida Daily Dispatch315-363-5100
Kurt Wanfried, Managing Editor, ext. 137
kwanfried@oneidadispatch.com
PerryvilleMadison EagleEditor: Beth Pantzer
Email: bpantzer@cnylink.com
RomeRome Observer130 Broad St.
Oneida, New York 13421
Phone: 315-363-5100 Fax: (315) 363-9832
editorial@mohawkvalleymedia.com
RomeRome Sentineleditor@rny.com
337-4000
SalinaStar ReviewEditor: Farah Jadran Pike
Email: fpike@cnylink.com
SkaneatelesSkaneateles PressEditor: Miranda Pennock
Email: mpennock@cnylink.com
SyracuseCatholic Sunhttp://www.thecatholicsun.com/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=1&Itemid=71
420 Montgomery St.
New York
13201

315-422-8153 (phone)
315-422-7549 (fax)
SyracuseCentral New York Business JournalAdam Rombel
Editor-in-Chief
Phone: (315) 579-3902
E-mail: arombel@cnybj.com
SyracuseDaily OrangeStephanie Musat, Editor in Chief
Meredith Galante, Managing Editor
(315) 443-9798
editor@dailyorange.com
SyracuseFamily Times1415 West Genesee Street
Syracuse, NY 13204
315.472.4669 (F) 315.422.1721
SyracusePost Standardhttp://www.syracuse.com/contactus/
SyracuseSyracuse City EagleEditor: Ellen Leahy
Email: city@cnylink.com
SyracuseSyracuse New Timeshttp://www.syracusenewtimes.com/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=3
SyracuseSyracuse Parenthttp://www.syracuseparent.net/contact/
Syracuse Parent
5910 Firestone Drive, Syracuse, NY 13206
email: editor@syracuseparent.net


Editor
Brittney F. Jerred
315.434.8889 ext 322
SyracuseUrban CNYhttp://urbancny.com/contact/index.php
Kenneth Jackson, Editor and Publisher
PHONE: (315) 422-7778
FAX: (315) 434-8883
EMAIL: kjackson@urbancny.com
SyracuseWSTMhttp://www.cnycentral.com/news/News_bloggers.aspx
Matt Mulcahy
Anchor
mmulcahy@CNYcentral.com
SyracuseWSYRhttp://www.9wsyr.com/content/contact/default.aspx
SyracuseWSYRhttp://www.570wsyr.com/pages/contact.html?feed=120907&article=366507
SyracuseWTVHhttp://www.cnycentral.com/about/contact_us_form.aspx
Van BurenBaldwinsville MessengerEditor: Erin Smith
Email: messenger@cnylink.com

5 comments:

  1. I located a database that might be helpful for your readers - http://www.refdesk.com/paper.html offers a listing of U.S. newspapers sorted by state, and then sorted within each state by city of publication.

    Like you, I have a "generational view" of LGBTQ rights. I am greatly heartened by the progress we've made, and have every confidence that 20 years from now, people will look back and wonder what all the fuss was about gay marriage.

    Thank you for posting this. Keep up the good fight!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks! I've been working from http://www.abyznewslinks.com. It seems to be quite comprehensive. Finding the links to the newspapers is relatively easy. It's finding the editorial submission process that takes serious time. I spent hours just making the list linked at the top of this page. But it's worth it if it saves my readers the effort of doing that search themselves. If I can help a bunch of people get those letters, calls and e-mails out, it will be time well spent.

    ReplyDelete
  3. By the way, I'm completely new to this so feel free to make suggestions. Do you think the "newspaper list" link at the top is obvious enough? I don't like having the list as a google doc; it's just a temporary measure until I suss the HTML generation code for producing nice, simple, clean, linked lists. I'm hopeful that I can then just embed that list right on this page.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Woot! Nicely done. Wow, I'm so "outta" the tech world anymore, though I used to work in Amazon's Site Development area, providing support to their Director. Yeah, THAT's been awhile (1998). 100-hr weeks just were NOT compatible with being even a semi-responsible mom, and this was even BEFORE I kicked my then-husband to the curb (for reasons that had nothing to do with my being a lesbian) and came out of the closet.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks! I don't like the way the table spills off the right of the available screen real-estate, but what can I do? There's no way to make blogger use that white space to the left, is there?

    Wow, support to the Director of Amazon! Impressive. I've *never* had that much of a work ethic. 40 hours/wk. is fine for me.

    ReplyDelete