Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Maya Angelou, Cynthia Nixon Phoning NY Pols on Gay Marriage
By
John Del Signore
Published May 29, 2009
Modified May 29, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published May 29, 2009
Modified May 29, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
"Helloooo, this is Dr. Maya Angelou calling. Tell me something: Would you deny your son or your daughter the ecstasy of finding someone to love?" This was the question posed by the Pulitzer prize-winning poet over the phone to State Senator Shirley Huntley, a Queens Democrat who opposes same-sex marriage. It wasn't a pre-recorded robocall; it was actually Angelou, and at first Huntley thought it was a joke, telling the Times, "I said, ‘What?’ I heard the voice, and I said: ‘My God. It is her.’ And that was that."
But by 'that was that,' she doesn't mean Angelou changed her mind. The impassioned phone call failed to shake Huntley's commitment to defend the rights of straight people who believe marriage means a man and a woman (and not man and muppet, either). Angelou was also on the horn to two other State Senators this week, as part of a push to get a same-sex marriage bill passed in New York before the Legislature's summer recess. And she wasn't alone: Cynthia Nixon, co-star of "Sex and the City," and Paul Tagliabue, the former NFL commissioner and father of a gay son, also personally called politicians. Check and mate, NOM. Start shopping for wedding attire, gay lovers!
Of course, the president of the National Organization for Marriage (or should we say "Marraige"?) sneers, "We think the most effective lobbyists on marriage are actual constituents, not Hollywood stars," who can no longer be "actual constituents" once they're famous—that's the law! But nobodies like us can still participate, and the group New Yorkers for Marriage Equality has a one-stop website that makes it unbelievably easy to track down your state representatives and give them your best Maya Angelou impression.
Tagged
cynthia nixon
gay
marriage
maya angelou
new york
pone calls
same-sex
state senate
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot and killed on Midtown subway platform Saturday afternoon, NYPD says
Police said they're searching for a person of interest.
By
Ryan Kost
and
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 1:16 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 17, 2026 at 4:10 p.m. ET
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
News
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
Being reigning champions is weird for Knicks fans, but we could get used to this.
By
Catalina Gonella
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
By
Willow Higgins
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
By
Rosemary Misdary
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .