Raw Story:New York Governor David Paterson has introduced a bill which would legalize same sex marriage.
"We stand to tell the world that we want equality for everyone," he reportedly said. "We stand to tell the world we want marriage equality in New York state."
"Paterson, whose job approval rating has plunged below 30 percent, is making a political gamble that he can ride the momentum of other states that have recently allowed the practice, and it's unclear how the legislation will play in New York," reported the Associated Press.
"The proposal is the same bill the Democratic-controlled state Assembly passed in 2007 before it died in the Senate, where the Republican majority kept it from going to a vote. Democrats now control the Senate, but opponents are vowing to make sure this one fails, as well."
However, the opponents who are vowing failure may find it that a costly win. A Quinnipiac poll taken earlier this month found that nearly three-quarters of New Yorkers want some sort of legal recognition of same-sex relationships. 41% support marriage and 33% support civil unions, with only 19% favoring no legal recognition at all. Good luck with representing the views of 19% of the electorate.
Advocates of marriage equality probably have good reason to feel cautiously optimistic here.
