The New York state Senate voted down the legislation by 38-24. Governor David Paterson, a Democrat who supports gay marriage, had said he would have signed the bill into law if it had passed.
“This is an enormous victory,” said Maggie Gallagher, the leader of the National Organization for Marriage, which opposed the law. “What you saw was the will of the people. …. The culture really hasn’t shifted on gay marriage.”
Iowa, Connecticut, Massa-chusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont have legalized gay marriage, while 40 U.S. states have specific laws that ban gay marriage. Last month, voters in Maine chose to repeal a law that had legalized gay marriage.
“This is a civil rights issue. Marriage equality is as important as the emancipation of any group from oppression and the granting of equal rights to any community,” Paterson said. “As disappointed as we are today, let’s get up tomorrow and redouble our efforts.”
New York is one of the most politically liberal states in the country. Recent polls showed a majority of New York voters favored allowing same-sex couples to marry, but one poll showed the public evenly split. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was “deeply disappointed” the Senate had not legalized gay marriage.
“Historic change does not come easily, but this vote was a crucial step that, I believe, will ultimately lead the state to extend full marriage rights to all couples,” he said.
