Don't Start Spreading the News Yet

Thought I might throw my two cents in on the whole gay-marriage in New York issue. 

The New York Times reported a couple days ago that Governor David Paterson planned to introduce legislation today that would make it legal for same-sex couples to marry in New York. It sounds like good news riding on the wave of Vermont and Iowa, of all places. 

But then LGBT groups started complaining about the timing. Apparently nobody was ready for this. It's beginning to look like there's no way the legislation could possibly get through the Senate. And some of the bill's supporters have indicated they might prevent it from getting to the Senate floor until it earns enough votes to pass. Others have decried Paterson's actions as just trying to garner votes for reelection. 

From the New York Times:

The fact that Mr. Paterson is introducing a bill does not, however, mean that action in the Legislature is imminent. It could take months — even longer — before the bill makes its way through the appropriate committees and onto the floor of the Senate and the Assembly.

“This is not a guarantee of anything,” said Assemblyman Micah Z. Kellner, a Democrat from the Upper East Side who noted that it took two months for legislation legalizing same-sex marriage to get through the Assembly in 2007 before it ultimately stalled. The Senate never acted on the bill.

The legislation is likely to have an especially bumpy ride in the Senate, where more lawmakers oppose same-sex marriage than support it. Gay rights advocates are now actively seeking more senators, both Democrats and Republicans, to vote for the bill.

The impression I get is that Paterson is trying to make a statement. He seems to be getting a message out there without really thinking through what his message would ultimately say. He probably shouldn't have moved without the support of some of the many LGBT organizations in New York. 

But Ultimately he may be right. With the right kind of motivation from the Governor, legislators and activists might get out there and make gay-marriage happen for New Yorkers. Who knows, backlash from the newly throned anti-gay Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan might even help the cause. Naysayers can moan about poor timing and questionable motivations all they want to. If the governor's move leads to more civil liberties for LGBT folks. Who cares?