NY State Assembly OKs Gay-Marriage Bill

Some change vote from 2007; bill heads to Senate
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 13, 2009 10:24 AM CDT
NY State Assembly OKs Gay-Marriage Bill
Sen. James Alesi, R-Fairport, center, talks to gay rights advocates in the Senate lobby at the Capitol in Albany, NY, Tuesday, April 28, 2009.    (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

The New York State Assembly passed a measure last night legalizing gay marriage, setting up a heated battle to the state senate. The 89-52 vote saw several lawmakers who voted against gay marriage in 2007 change sides, the New York Times reports. “That vote just never felt right to me,” said a legislator who changed his position. "That little voice kept gnawing away at me."

Another lawmaker said a lesbian couple on her street had inspired her shift to a “yes” vote.  “The margin of victory and the balance of where the people come from who voted for this is broadening,” said an assemblyman. Advocates for both sides of the issue are turning up the pressure as the bill goes to the senate. “We can’t look the other way,” said the Conservative Party’s chairman.
(More gay marriage stories.)

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