Free Republic

Actress Cynthia Nixon has been routinely described as trying to become the state’s first lesbian governor. But Nixon actually doesn't self-identify as a lesbian. She considers herself queer, campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said. Queer - one of the Qs in the LGBTQ movement, along with questioning—encompasses people who don't necessarily feel they fall under any specific label. Queer for decades had been used as a derisive term to attack nonheterosexuals. But in recent years, the term has been reclaimed by some - especially younger people - in the LGBTQ community. Hitt declined to discuss the reasons why Nixon identifies as...

Cuomo’s homelessness order deepened the chill between him and Mayor de Blasio Sunday, with the mayor’s office charging Cuomo lacks the power to impose the mandate. "We support the intent of the Executive Order, but to forcibly remove all homeless individuals in freezing weather, as the Governor has ordered, will require him to pass state law," de Blasio spokeswoman Karen Hinton said as Cuomo inked the order requiring people to go to shelters when temperatures are below 32 degrees. "This Executive Order adds no legal or financial resources to New York City's programs to assist the homeless, and merely requires...

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo made it clear Wednesday why he has recently bypassed the Legislature on different issues like raising the minimum wage for fast-food workers. "I run the government," Cuomo said. "I am the executive and therefore I use executive power. And that’s why the executive is given the power," Cuomo said during an appearance on upstate public radio’s “The Capitol Pressroom.” Cuomo dismissed criticism that his actions represent a major power grab by going around the Legislature. In addition to creating a board that has recommended raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour for fast food workers,...

ALBANY - Days after getting the right to marry people, Gov. Cuomo will officiate a same-sex marriage Sunday morning an hour before marching in the city gay pride parade. Cuomo will marry David Contreras Turley, 36, and Peter Thiede, 35. "It’s hard to believe everything that’s happened in the last 24 hours,” Turley told the Daily News on Saturday night. “The opportunity arose for us to get married by the governor, and we couldn’t be happier.” Longtime gay rights activist Edie Windsor, who was part of a landmark Supreme Court decision, will deliver the opening remarks at the ceremony, which...

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was taken into custody Thursday in Manhattan on corruption charges, The Daily News has learned. The impending arrest of Silver, who has been one of the most powerful men in Albany for more than two decades, was first reported overnight by The New York Times. While it’s unclear exactly what charges Silver could be facing, The Times reported the rap is linked to payments the powerful Manhattan Democrat received from New York City lawfrim Goldberg & Iryami that he did not disclose publicly, as required by law.