Same-Sex Mairrage in New York

N.Y.'s Suozzi Switches on Gay Marriage

A New York state politician who in 2006 said that he preferred the separate accommodation of civil unions for gay and lesbian couples now says that he supports marriage equality. Nassau County executive Tom Suozzi, a Democrat who ran against former governor Eliot Spitzer in the primary race, wrote an op-ed in The New York Times on Friday acknowledging that he was once conflicted between honoring religious liberty versus civil liberties.

"[But] as I talked to gays and lesbians and heard their stories of pain, discrimination, and love, my platitudes about civil unions began to ring hollow," he wrote. "I have struggled to find the solution that best serves the common good."

Suozzi said that New York could follow Connecticut's and Vermont's models that uphold religious institutions' right to acknowledge or deny same-sex marriages.

Meanwhile, the New York senate is currently in a state of gridlock, as two members have defected from the Democratic Party, taking away the majority it held just weeks ago. Gov. David Paterson, however, urged senate members to address pending votes, including a bill on marriage equality, before the session ends on June 22.

"If the senate adjourns without allowing enough time to address the people’s business, I will convene the legislature in extraordinary session at a date to be announced so that we can finish the people's business," said Paterson, who has said that he wants to sign a marriage-equality bill.
The state assembly passed the bill last month.


Former NY GOP Senate Leader Bruno: Yes to Marriage Equality

Former New York Senate Republican Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who last week spoke publicly to an Albany reporter about his change of mind regarding marriage equality, released a fuller statement over the weekend.

Said Bruno, in part:
"I previously endorsed civil unions as a pragmatic compromise. However, civil unions seem reminiscent of segregation. They relegate same sex couples to second class citizenship. In essence, we are telling them you can be equal, so long as you are separate. This does not square with the equal protection of the laws of the 14th Amendment and equality is the veritable birthright of the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln."The Governor’s bill also contains an important amendment that allows individual religious institutions to opt out of the performance of gay marriages. We can’t and shouldn’t force churches to marry, but we should allow for same sex marriages. I believe this amendment is a crucial element because the bill does not use the hand of government to force a private religious institution to perform any rite outside of its belief system. Church and State are separate powers. "Governor Paterson has introduced this contentious issue for consideration. The senate leadership should follow suit and allow this bill to move forward."

The Log Cabin Republicans praised Bruno. Said Jeff Cook, Legislative Advisor to the group: “We are proud that Senator Bruno is standing with us on the right side of history. Support for marriage equality transcends ideology, includes all parties and comes from all faiths. Notable Republicans, from Senator Bruno to former Vice President Dick Cheney, are recognizing that ‘freedom means freedom for everyone’. Senate Republicans should do what 58 Republican state legislators have already done—stand up to ensure that all families can live freely and equally with the same full protection of our laws.”