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"There is no just comparison between America’s struggle to overcome the evils of slavery and the promotion of the lifestyle of homosexuality. It is preposterous for Mayor Bloomberg to degrade and minimize the plight of African-Americans in this civil rights struggle by equating it with the effort to push to legalize homosexual marriage. Black Americans should not sit back and let Mayor Bloomberg compare the long struggle of their ancestors against American slavery to the current fight for a lifestyle choice.

"The effort to redefine marriage to include a man and a man or a woman and a woman can never be compared to the struggle against slavery. Before Mayor Bloomberg attempts to borrow from history for comparisons, he should take a look at the uncivil discourse that is taking place by those whose goals he has embraced. Black leaders should not allow Mayor Bloomberg or anyone else trivialize their suffering and their history!" - New York state Sen. Ruben "Reverend" Diaz, writing on his official state website.

Here's the full video of yesterday's pro-gay marriage speech by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. As noted by Andy Humm, we've got some major issues with Bloomberg, but it IS a damn good speech.

"Bloomberg's speech today amounted to hollow words. He is the sole reason that Republicans are in the majority in the NYS Senate as he has propped them up literally with MILLIONS of dollars in just the last several years. And he has repeatedly said that he will NOT stop donating to Senators who oppose marriage equality--who also happen to be the ones who oppose GENDA, the AIDS bills we need, and virtually everything else of a progressive nature. Let Bloomberg put his money where his mouth is: Stop funding bigots. It is sickening to watch the gay establishment and average gay people fawn over him like some kind of hero when he is in fact the main reason we don't have marriage equality in New York." - Gay City News reporter Andy Humm, via email.

"In talking to state legislators who do not yet support marriage equality, I can sense that many of them are searching their souls for answers – and they are torn. Like all of us, they have friends and family and colleagues who are gay and lesbian. They know gay and lesbian couples who are deeply in love with each other – many of whom are loving and devoted parents, too. They know those couples yearn to be seen and treated as equal to all other couples. And they often hear from their own families – especially their children – that this is a civil rights issue. I hope they listen to their kids carefully and make them proud with their foresight and courage." - NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking today at Manhattan's Cooper Union.

(Via - Freedom To Marry)

Gay City News reports that NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn visited Albany yesterday to personally lobby GOP state Senators on same-sex marriage.

“Today I’ve been spending time talking to Republican senators,” Bloomberg said. “I’ve been reminding them marriage equality is entirely consistent with the GOP’s core values of promoting limited government and individual liberty.” Bloomberg said Senate Republicans — who ultimately get to decide whether a bill hits the floor for a vote — were Tuesday’s focus, but did not close the door on lobbying undecided Democrats, such as Joseph Addabbo and Shirley Huntley of Queens and Carl Kruger from Brooklyn. “If Chris [Quinn] or anyone else thinks it’s useful for me to call or visit, I am certainly not reticent to tell you what I believe or what I think is right,” said Bloomberg, who finished his day by meeting with Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos.

Last week openly gay Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell introduced a marriage equality bill to his chamber. The Assembly has approved same-sex marriage three times in years past.

Yesterday firebrand Rep. Anthony Weiner made it all but official that he intends to run for mayor of New York City in 2013. Weiner ran for mayor in 2009 but dropped out early after Michael Bloomberg announced his intent to pursue a third term.

"I have a passing interest in the management of New York," Weiner said in one of his many asides during a much-hyped speech about health care reform - a favorite of liberals. "Hey, newsflash, I'm interested," added Weiner, who ran in 2005 and was chased away by Mayor Bloomberg's bankroll in 2009. "It would be exceedingly coy of me, especially in this town, to present that I'm not interested in being mayor," he added.

It's expected that both Clintons will be powerful allies in Weiner's campaign. Last summer Bill Clinton officiated at Weiner's wedding to Hillary's top aide, Huma Abedin. Weiner's strongest challenger will likely be openly gay City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who herself might be mayor today had her boss not decided that term limits were only for the little people.

RELATED: Bloomberg spent a record-shattering $102M of his own money in 2009, an eye-bugging $174 per vote, but still only won by five points despite the relatively pitiful $8M spent by his Democratic opponent. That's how pissed people were about his upending of term limits.

According to City Hall News, activists plan to ask NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg to lobby state Senate Republicans on marriage equality.

Michael Bloomberg, who favors marriage equality, has promised advocates to do anything in his power to help push the issue. And those close to the planning say they plan on asking Bloomberg to appeal directly to fence-sitting Senate Republicans, whom he has donated more than $650,000 during this past election cycle, and over $1 million since 2007. Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf said he thought Bloomberg’s lobbying could help move the issue forward.

“If the mayor, who has been supportive of equality for all of his career, wants to do this then he should,” Sheinkopf said. “He who has the gold makes the rules, and in this case he has the gold and maybe he can make some new rules.” Several aides to Bloomberg did not return requests for comment. A handful of Republican Senators could be inclined to vote “yes,” activists say, including Greg Ball, Andrew Lanza, Jack Martins, Kemp Hannon, Roy McDonald, John Bonacic, Mark Grisanti and Jim Alesi.

New York Gov. Andrew Coumo has vowed a "full-court press" on marriage equality once this year's state budget is resolved.

Parks, beaches, Times Square....

New York City's always controversial Department of Public Health has added soft drinks to their library of attack ads. Previous gruesome ads about the dangers of smoking and HIV have caused some activists to loudly object that "scare tactics" turn people off to the underlying necessary message. At least this one doesn't show amputated fingers or anal cancer.

Arizona shooting hero Daniel Hernandez hustled up from last night's State Of The Union address to join NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial gun control campaign.

“It is my hope that President [Barack] Obama and Congress will work together right away to reform our gun background check system so that all records of dangerous people are in the system and all gun buyers will have to pass a thorough background check,” Hernandez said in a statement. While Congress is unlikely to act on any gun control legislation given the Republican majority in the House, Bloomberg has repeatedly argued for such measures in the wake of the shooting.

RELATED: In 2006 Bloomberg formed the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition, a group that once numbered over 500 members, but has since dwindled due to a letter writing campaign from the NRA. Bloomberg has raised the ire of out-of-state law enforcement agencies by sending undercover NYPD detectives to gun shows in the states funneling illegal guns to NYC.

Lawmakers are refloating a plan to charge drivers up to $10 if they want to drive south of 60th Street in Manhattan on weekdays. Bloomberg test-drove the idea back in 2008 to little support, but with the city budget in the shape it presently is, this time the idea may get some traction.

Driver fees could also reverse some of the MTA service cuts that eliminated two subway lines and 36 bus routes last year, and help plug the system's $10 billion long-term maintenance gap. They could also delay the 7% fare hike scheduled for a year from now, backers hope. While Gov. Cuomo has not taken sides on the idea, Bloomberg aides have been working on it behind the scenes for months. "The key is devising a proposal that would win broad support across the five boroughs, the entire region, and in Albany," said Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson.

Last time, the plan was largely shot down by outer-borough commuters who drive downtown and use the already sky-high parking garages.

RELATED: In 2003 London instituted a similar congestion charge in which weekday drivers pay £10 to enter the central part of the city.

In his just-released It Gets Better video, Mayor Michael Bloomberg tells gay kids, "New York City wants you." Um, something something Ali Forney Center funding cuts, cough cough.

UPDATE: Ali Forney Center executive director Carl Siciliano responds.

"Two days after slashing support to homeless youth programs in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg has the gall to release a video telling LGBT youth that 'It Gets Better.' Mayor Bloomberg, your cruel and reckless cuts to the meager support system for homeless LGBT youth in New York City just made things for them much worse! On January 1st, Bloomberg cut support for outreach to homeless youth in half, cut most drop-in centers for homeless youth by a third, and cut support for the two LGBT homeless youth drop-in programs in half. In New York City there are over 1,000 LGBT youth suffering on the streets every night without access to safe shelter. The drop-in centers and outreach are their only support. Homeless LGBT youth are at incredible risk of suicide with 62% reporting that they have considered or attempted suicide.

The LGBT community needs to recognize these cuts as an attack against our most vulnerable youth, and against us as a whole. We pay just as much taxes as anyone, and there are far too few City-funded programs that support our most vulnerable youth. If we can be treated like this in a city with as strong an community as NYC, how will our youth ever get their fair share of the resources they need and deserve? I cannot speak strongly enough about what a horror it is to have LGBT youth who have been discarded by homophobic parents flock to us for help, and to have to counsel them to sleep in the subways because there are not nearly enough beds for them."