"'From the fight for women's suffrage to the struggle for civil rights, New Yorkers have been on the right side of history. But on the issue of marriage equality, our state has fallen behind,' Governor Cuomo said. 'For too long, same-sex couples have been denied the freedom to marry, as well as hundreds of rights that other New Yorkers take for granted. Marriage Equality is a matter of fairness and legal security for thousands of families in this state – not of religion or culture. When it comes to fighting for what's right, New Yorkers wrote the book, and Marriage Equality is the next chapter of our civil rights story.'"
The submission of this bill comes at the end of a long back-and-forth for gay New Yorkers, with a similar bill having been defeated in December of 2009. However, this version includes language exempting certain religious institutions, and this clause, it's hoped, will bring around Republican Senators who were holding out for their religious constituents.
One such GOP Senator, Mr. Alesi, predicts the passage of the bill with a vote of 35 for it. This is a momentous week for gay New York.
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