Right on the heels of Vermont’s legalization of gay marriage, governor David Paterson reportedly intends to introduce a bill doing the same in New York.

Governor Paterson justified the legislation as follows, according to the AP:

This actually wouldn’t be the first such effort in New York, as the same bill was killed procedurally in the state Senate in 2007. However, the Senate was controlled by Republicans in 2007, and in the meantime control has since switched (narrowly, 32-30) to Democrats. Opponents, however, are promising the same result this time around and it remains to be seen if party lines will be adhered to. Despite the rising momentum in various states toward the legalization of gay marriage, opposition remains stiff and even the Senate’s Majority Leader, Malcolm Smith, doesn’t believe there are enough votes to pass the bill (though he does support it).

“Paterson said Tuesday the measure is necessary because gays and lesbians in civil unions are denied 1,200 to 1,350 civil protections such as health care and pension rights since they’re not married.”

  • AP: NY Gov. Paterson to reintroduce gay marriage bill (FindLaw)
  • AP: Vermont legalizes gay marriage with veto override (Yahoo! News)
  • AP: Gay marriage effort shifts back to New England (Google News)
  • AP: NH House approves bill to allow gay marriage (FindLaw)
  • Same-Sex Couples and the Law (FindLaw)
  • Marriage Overview (provided by Jennings and Jennings)
  • Family Law Center (FindLaw)

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