"I am always proud to be a New Yorker,” said Governor Cuomo, who entered office as an outspoken advocate of same-sex marriage. “Tonight, I am especially proud to be a New Yorker."
Late Friday night New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill legalizing gay marriage in New York after the Senate voted 33 – 29 in favor of the new legislation. Twenty-nine Democrats and four Republicans voted in favor of the bill, which made New York the largest state in America to support same-sex marriages. New York joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C..
The act, known as The Marriage Equality Act states:
Marriage is a fundamental human right. Same sex couples should have the same access as others to the protections, responsibilities, rights, obligations, and benefits of civil marriage. Stable family relationships help build a stronger society. For the welfare of the community and in fairness to all New Yorkers, this act formally recognizes otherwise-valid marriages without regard to whether the parties are of the same or different sex.
It is the intent of the legislature that the marriages of same-sex and different-sex couples be treated equally in all respects under the law.
“I am always proud to be a New Yorker,” said Governor Cuomo, who entered office as an outspoken advocate of same-sex marriage. “Tonight, I am especially proud to be a New Yorker.”
Of the Republicans who voted in favor of same-sex marriage, Senator Roy McDonald of Saratoga was the first to announce his decision. “Well, fuck it, I don’t care what you think,” he told reporters. “I’m trying to do the right thing,”
Despite widespread revelry in West Village, the home of gay rights movement, the bill’s opponents voiced disapproval of the Senate’s decision. In a joint statement, New York’s Catholic bishops condemned the bill.
“The passage by the Legislature of a bill to alter radically and forever humanity’s historic understanding of marriage leaves us deeply disappointed and troubled,” said the bishops.
Ruben Diaz Sr., the sole Democratic Senator to oppose the vote, made the following statement “God, not Albany, has settled the definition of marriage, a long time ago.”
According to a Gallup poll taken in May, 53% of Americans think marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, and according to The Wall Street Journal, that figure is closer to 60% among New York voters.
The White House offered the following statement on behalf of the President:
The President has long believed that gay and lesbian couples deserve the same rights and legal protections as straight couples. That’s why he has called for repeal of the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” and determined that his Administration would no longer defend the constitutionality of DOMA in the courts. The states should determine for themselves how best to uphold the rights of their own citizens. The process in New York worked just as it should.
It remains to be seen how New York’s passage of The Marriage Equality Act will affect the 2012 Presidential Election. At a LGBT Fundraiser on Thursday night, President Obama did not endorse same-sex marriage; however, he offered the following:
“Yes, we have more work today. Yes, we have more progress to make. Yes, I expect continued impatience with me on occasion. With your help, if you keep up the fight, if you will devote your time and your energies to this campaign one more time, I promise you we will write another chapter in that story.”
While Obama has never explicitly supported same-sex marriage, many of his supporters in the LGBT community believe that addressing the issue while campaigning for reelection may prove too risky politically, and, instead, he will address it if re-elected for a second term. New York’s decision to support same-sex marriage, however, may catapult Gay Rights to the forefront of the 2012 election campaign requiring Obama and other candidates to become more transparent about their intentions.
