New York Senate approves same-sex marriage
June 24th, 2011
10:20 PM ET
New York legislators cleared the last major hurdle to legalize same-sex marriage Friday when the state Senate followed the Assembly's lead in approving legislation to do so.
Earlier in the day, the Assembly passed a version of the bill that included an amendment about religious institutions. The Friday night vote in the Senate means the legislation's fate is now in the hands of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who proposed it.
The Senate vote came after lawmakers agreed on an amendment that would help protect religious institutions from potential lawsuits, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos said.
Demonstrators have gathered for days in Albany as state lawmakers pored over the details of the bill, which would help make New York the nation's sixth and largest state to legalize same-sex marriage.
The vote on the marriage measure, which the state Assembly passed June 15, was stalled in part by Republican concerns over protections for religious institutions against the potential for litigation.
Cuomo says the bill would grant same-sex couples equal rights to marry "as well as hundreds of rights, benefits and protections that are currently limited to married couples of the opposite sex."
Currently, five states - Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire - and the District of Columbia grant same-sex marriage licenses.
The passage of same-sex marriage laws faced a daunting history in the New York state legislature.
The Senate rejected a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in 2009 and has blocked the last three attempts by the state's lower house to get the proposed legislation signed into law.
Although New York currently does not grant same-sex marriages, a 2008 appellate court ruling upheld the right of couples to have their same-sex marriages recognized if they are performed elsewhere.
*MySmiley*
structured procrastinator
structured procrastinator
New York Senate approves same-sex marriage
- 25/06/2011 03:47:43 AM
1315 Views
Good. *NM*
- 25/06/2011 07:40:52 AM
428 Views
I'm actually not opposed to this.
- 25/06/2011 03:48:32 PM
632 Views
I'm not sure why there was even any need for such explicit protection.
- 25/06/2011 04:04:47 PM
628 Views
so in your only Catholics are really married?
- 26/06/2011 12:04:07 AM
633 Views
Church Doctrine.
- 26/06/2011 12:57:39 AM
760 Views
That's patently wrong in that Orthodox weddings are explicitly recognized by the Church.
- 26/06/2011 02:42:00 PM
650 Views
Yeah okay...
- 26/06/2011 05:16:05 PM
689 Views
They are outside of the authority of Rome, and have, on occasion, excommunicated Popes.
- 27/06/2011 05:03:31 PM
664 Views
Seems fine to me
- 25/06/2011 05:44:30 PM
625 Views
Voting on civil rights constitutes tyranny of the majority, not legitimate democracy.
- 25/06/2011 09:37:28 PM
759 Views
Re: Voting on civil rights constitutes tyranny of the majority, not legitimate democracy.
- 26/06/2011 03:11:06 AM
702 Views
Good luck telling that to the deeply religious right.
- 26/06/2011 03:20:04 AM
622 Views
I am a deeply religious member of the right, and I tell them that all the time *NM*
- 26/06/2011 03:30:14 AM
269 Views
After a number of years of gay marriage
- 26/06/2011 06:57:07 AM
595 Views
That's more or less true of virtually everything, not a great example
- 26/06/2011 07:09:03 AM
623 Views
People shouldn't turn their own religion and/or opinion into law
- 28/06/2011 07:33:48 PM
617 Views
I don't recall mentioning religion beyond confirming that I was religious
- 28/06/2011 08:22:51 PM
666 Views
I admit I wasn't replying to you directly
- 29/06/2011 07:20:10 AM
622 Views
I think you should give this subject a bit more thought
- 29/06/2011 02:16:04 PM
669 Views
Believing things without strong supporting evidence is not rational.
- 30/06/2011 12:11:33 AM
730 Views
Requiring different degrees of proof for things isn't particularly rational
- 30/06/2011 01:14:44 PM
809 Views
I require the same standard of evidence to be confident in anything.
- 30/06/2011 07:43:51 PM
1198 Views
Re: I require the same standard of evidence to be confident in anything.
- 30/06/2011 08:59:00 PM
809 Views
Re: I require the same standard of evidence to be confident in anything.
- 30/06/2011 09:47:30 PM
1074 Views
No, I used the word irrational to mean that it's not rational.
- 30/06/2011 09:12:19 PM
656 Views
Re: Voting on civil rights constitutes tyranny of the majority, not legitimate democracy.
- 26/06/2011 10:38:56 PM
804 Views
I think you should give your fellow citizens a bit more trust and respect
- 27/06/2011 05:41:52 PM
594 Views
My expectations are guided by psychology and history.
- 28/06/2011 07:08:06 PM
708 Views
That's good to know, most of us do that, though we usually just call it common sense and experience
- 28/06/2011 08:55:23 PM
736 Views
No, most people don't do that. Reasoning from cognitive biases and anecdotes is much more common.
- 30/06/2011 12:18:40 AM
646 Views
Empire State Building was lit up in rainbow colors, looked cool *NM*
- 25/06/2011 08:21:03 PM
281 Views
I approved that years ago. They are way behind. Granted, I have no authority over anyone...
- 26/06/2011 12:22:33 AM
523 Views
The real issue is going to be when the Supreme Court rules on the full faith and credit clause.
- 26/06/2011 02:43:23 PM
633 Views