Later this afternoon, New York Governor David Paterson plans to introduce a bill to legalize gay marriage. Calling the bill a piece of "landmark civil rights legislation", Gov. Paterson intends to get this bill passed through the NY State Legislature.
After recent victories in Iowa and Vermont, the demand for equality everywhere is steadily increasing. We have already seen polling results front-paged that indicate a clear movement, albeit slowly, toward support of gay marriage. I believe this issue will one day be decided federally, but only when we are confident that gay marriage will be legalized everywhere in America. But until that day, the "Berlin Wall" against gay marriage is being chipped away every single day.
From Gov. Paterson's press release:
"Marriage equality is about basic civil rights and personal freedom," Governor Paterson said. "Too many individuals face legal discrimination every single day. Too many loving families do not receive the legal recognition they deserve. Anyone who has ever faced intolerance of any kind knows the solemn importance of protecting the rights of all people. That is why we stand together today to embrace civil rights for every New Yorker. We stand together today for marriage equality in the State of New York."
"Our work to correct injustice cannot depend on factors like timing or guaranteed success," Governor Paterson added. "For too long, LGBT New Yorkers have been told to wait for their civil rights and personal freedom. We will not wait any longer. Now is the time for action. Now is the time for leadership. Now is the time to march forward together."
What the bill proposes to do is amend the current civil union law, allowing same-sex couples the opportunity to enter into civil marriages. As of right now, the governor estimates that same-sex couples could be denied up to 1,350 civil protections granted to current married couples.
Governor Paterson sees this issue, as many of us do, as a civil rights issue, similar to the fight to eliminate slavery in the 1800s. His approval ratings are low now, so please let's call his office and support him grandly with his bold effort. For how progressive NYC is, the suburbs and upstate is not nearly as much, so this will take broad support from across the state, and from all over America from progressives like us.
You can read the AP wire here.