New York could become the sixth state in the union to legalize gay marriage this week, now that Republican Sen. Roy J. McDonald has pledged his support for the measure.
From The New York Times:
The vote tally in the State Senate now stands at 31 of 62 members, with one more vote needed to approve the law. The Assembly has passed the measure several times before and is likely to do so again this week if the Senate moves ahead.
"I think I'm doing the right thing, it's the appropriate thing, and if the public respects that, I'm grateful," Mr. McDonald said as reporters pressed him in the Capitol for his decision. "If they don't, then I move on."
McDonald's announcement comes one day after three Democrats flipped in favor of gay marriage.
A similar measure was defeated in 2009 in the then Democrat-led Senate. Since then support for marriage equality has grown in New York state. A recent poll showed that 58% of New Yorkers favor legalizing same-sex marriage.
Not everyone is pleased with this potentially historic turn of events. Archbishop Timothy Dolan voiced his concern that such a measure would pass.
"Please, not here!" he said. "We cherish true freedom, not as the license to do whatever we want, but the liberty to do what we ought."
But governor Cuomo is intent on seeing it through. The governor introduced his bill on Tuesday. The terms of the bill are concise and clear, according to the Times, and "would allow same-sex couples from anywhere in the nation to marry in New York beginning 30 days from passage."