NY Is a Single Vote Shy of Legalizing Gay Marriage

New York is thisclose to legalizing same-sex marriage, and if the bill comes to the Senate floor Friday, many expect it to pass. Two Republican state senators declared support for the measure this week, leaving it just one vote shy of passage, the New York Times reports. Gov. Andrew Cuomo formally introduced the bill yesterday, indicating his confidence in its victory; if it passes, New York would be the sixth and largest state in the US to allow gay marriage.

But, though the proposal includes provisions exempting religious institutions from performing or providing facilities for gay weddings, the state’s top Roman Catholic leader is still unhappy about it: In a strong statement, he compared the situation to something that might happen in China or North Korea, where the “government presumes daily to ‘redefine’ rights, relationships, values, and natural law.” Click for more on the state’s Conservative Party chairman, who also strongly opposes the legislation. (More New York stories.)