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New York Governor to Introduce Bill Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage
Apr 14, 2009 at 11:41 pm by Sasha

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VERY VERY VERY awesome news!!!

Gov. David A. Paterson plans to introduce legislation on Thursday to make marriage between same-sex couples legal in New York, advancing his push for greater rights for gay men and lesbians.

Of course there’s a lot of ground to cover between introducing a bill and making it the law (details are here, kids). A similar bill passed easily in the NY state assembly in 2007, and it’s expected to pass again now. However, the legislation faces an uphill climb in the State Senate. Democrats acknowledge that they do not have enough votes there to get the measure approved, meaning that its chances could rest in the hands of a few Republicans. The only openly gay member of the state Senate, Thomas Duane, has said he’s been assured by several Republican state Senators that they’ll support the bill, although he declined to name names.

The move could also alienate the more conservative supporters of Governor Paterson, who’s had a few “missteps” in his short career as governor, including the admission of cocaine use and extra-marital affairs. So I guess, for him, he’s got nothing to lose, and if this shit passes it’s one surefire way for his governorship to become heroic.

Paterson — and everyone else in the equal-rights movement in New York — is hoping to capitalize on the momentum built by the recent overwhelming vote for legalization of same-sex marriage in Vermont and D.C.’s decision to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. They want to get this bill to the floor right after citizens have been reminded that same-sex couples can get married without the universe imploding.

Fingers crossed, guys. New York would be a huge win in this battle.

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