You would have never seen this under Pataki, but it is long overdue for New York to legalize marriage between two people that just happen to be of the same gender. Massachusetts started the ball rolling and now we are picking up the torch of equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation. I'm sure the conservative anti-gay groups will come out in force against the bill but in these times they will be far out-weighed by civil rights organizations and plain old common sense. Unfortunately, the legislature is still not a friendly place for the bill.
From The New York Times:
Legislation to allow same-sex marriage has never made it to a floor vote in either the Assembly, which has a Democratic majority, or the Republican-controlled State Senate. Sheldon Silver, the Assembly speaker, has declined to take a stand on the issue. Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate majority leader, has supported legislation to outlaw hate crimes and workplace discrimination against gays, but he remains opposed to same-sex marriage.
Even among lawmakers who say they favor the legislation, there is some division over the best strategy to get it passed. Two legislators from Manhattan, State Senator Thomas K. Duane and Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried, both Democrats, have tried for several years to shepherd a gay-marriage bill through the Legislature and are trying again this year. That bill has at least 14 sponsors in the Senate and 42 in the Assembly.
If Mr. Spitzer does propose a bill, it is unclear how much muscle he will be willing — or able — to put behind it. The priorities he has outlined — such as overhauling the state’s campaign finance laws and introducing a constitutional amendment to require nonpartisan legislative redistricting — already pose a considerable challenge. That would leave Mr. Spitzer with little political bandwidth that would allow him to build support for another controversial bill.
Spitzer may be biting off more than he can chew with all the other controversial legislation on the table. Yet it is good to see he is following his principles when it comes to this hot button issue. Even if the bill does not make it into law this session, it puts the question in the minds of New Yorkers that we need to make marriage and its benefits available to anyone that wants to live together for eternity or something like that.
For the state to deny people their rights based on the fear of some heterosexuals is simply ridiculous. We have gotten rid of other hateful policies that have affected people's rights in the past, this one is for the here and now.
|