Manhattan Young Dems/Marriage Equality on CNN's Blogger Bunch Today

Earlier today, Julie Blitzer of the Manhattan Young Democrats and the New Yorkers for Equality campaign appeared on CNN's Blogger Bunch. Here's the video:

Julie also writes in to note that earlier today, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn hand delivered 1,500 letters from constituents to state senators urging them to support marriage equality in New York. From the MYD press release:

On an historic day for Californians where the state Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8 to ban marriage equality, New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn has teamed up with Manhattan Young Democrats (MYD) and its partners to ensure that New Yorkers are not held to the same fate. Quinn was in New York’s capital today hand delivering thousands of letters including nearly 1,500 letters that have been written through newyorkequality.com, a website that was launched last week to connect New Yorkers to their state Senators in two easy clicks to get behind marriage equality.

“On such a dispiriting day for the state of California, MYD and our partners are doing everything we can in the fight for marriage equality in the Empire State,” said Al Benninghoff, MYD President. “With help from Speaker Quinn in hand delivering the letters generated from newyorkequality.com, we’re hoping our state Senators will heed the call from New Yorkers that we demand marriage equality.”

"I am so proud to personally deliver these letters today to the State Senate--letters from New Yorkers of all shades of life that speak to the growing consensus among New Yorkers that all deserve equal rights," said NYC Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. "It was great to work closely with the Manhattan Young Democrats who collected nearly 1,500 letters online at newyorkequality.com, which is a true testament to the unwavering power of grassroots organizing. I encourage everyone in favor of marriage equality to write letters of their own and call their State Senator to urge them to support equal rights."

Former Obama staff and grassroots coordinators, who are now leaders of MYD, launched newyorkequality.com last week in anticipation of the New York State legislature’s upcoming vote on marriage equality. Newyorkequality.com serves as an online, intuitive platform for New Yorkers to reach out directly to their state Senators to inform them that New Yorkers demand marriage equality. Since its launch, constituents have sent nearly 2,000 email letters to their state Senators.