New York Assembly Passes Marriage Equality Bill

One day after easily passing a legislative committee on a strictly partisan vote, a marriage equality bill introduced by Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer passed the New York State Assembly on Tuesday by a bipartisan vote of 85 to 61. By passing A. 8590, whose chief legislative sponsor was talk show host Rosie O'Donnell's openly gay brother Assemblymember Daniel O'Donnell, the New York State Assembly became the third legislative body in the United States to pass a bill opening marriage to same-sex couples, after the California State Senate and California State Assembly.

The California bill failed to beome law in 2005 after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it. The California State Assembly again passed a marriage equality bill a couple weeks ago and the Governor has repeated his intention to veto it.

In New York, however, the Governor would happily sign a marriage equality into law if given the chance, but State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-*sshole) has said that he has no intention of allowing the upper body to consider the marriage equality bill this year. This is the same person who prevented New York State Legislature from enacting a non-discrimination bill including gender identity or sexual orientation for decades despite large majorities in both houses in favor of the bill. New York finally enacted the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act in 2002.

Congratulations, New York!



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Pity Bruno will stall it in the senate (none / 0)

unless there's enough support amongst the republicans in the senate to try and go around Bruno to bring it to the floor. If not then it's going to have to wait until 2008 when the democrats will hopefully take the state senate.


by Quinton on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 12:02:40 AM EST

Wow (none / 0)

I am not gay myself, but my godfathers are and they are also my uncles and great, loving people. On the other side I have two gay uncles in a loving relationship, however they have been denied the right to legally be partners because of hateful, wrong people.

This just made my day, I think the tide is turning, 18-34 year old Americans support gay marriage and I think we will eventually get it passed in Cal and NY. And hopefully it will just keep expanding beyond there. Public approval for gay marriage has been going up at about a percent per year. It's not fast enough but if it keeps going by 2020 a majority of Americans will support gay marriage.

It's a start.


"Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around." --Thoreau
by Populista on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 12:19:02 AM EST

Re: Wow (none / 0)

When NY and CA pass marriage equality they combined with MA (and it seems by that time perhaps NJ and CT who are moving in that direction after discovering that civil unions aren't equal) will amount to fully a quarter of American's living in states that have marriage equality.


by Quinton on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 12:49:51 AM EST
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