Gay marriage activists seek momentum in New York

Gay rights activists are looking to a possible vote to legalize same-sex marriage in New York State on Tuesday as a way to drive a national campaign that opponents say has lost momentum.

Five U.S. states have already legalized gay marriage -- Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont -- but earlier this month voters in a sixth, Maine, chose to repeal such a law, which was due to take effect in September.

New York's Democratic-controlled State Assembly passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in May, but the proposed legislation faces a tougher battle in the Senate, where the party has a slim majority.

Governor David Paterson, a Democrat who supports gay marriage, has urged the upper chamber to pass the bill and vowed to sign it into law.

New York is one of the most politically liberal states in the nation, but it is also home to large numbers of Catholics and African-Americans, many of whom oppose gay marriage.

Two recent polls showed a majority of New York voters in favor of allowing same-sex couples to marry, but one other poll showed the public evenly split.

"Winning gay marriage in New York will be a boost for gay marriage across the country," said Alan Van Capelle, the executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, a group that is lobbying for the legislation.

"I am optimistic that this will come to the floor for a vote (on Tuesday) and that it will pass," he said.

But Maggie Gallagher, the leader of the anti-gay marriage group, National Organization for Marriage, said she did not believe the bill would earn the needed Republican support.

"I don't think it was ever true that the culture had shifted on the gay marriage question," she said...

But Maggie Gallagher, the leader of the anti-gay marriage group, National Organization for Marriage, said she did not believe the bill would earn the needed Republican support. "I don't think it was ever true that the culture had shifted on the gay marriage question," she said...

Marriage is between a man and a woman, a sacred bond. No spokesperson for any organization in support of marriage should ever allow the phrase 'gay marriage' to slip their lips, as it gives the opponents a victory, in making it even more common and accepted thinking in language.

Homosexual shacking up can be covered by other laws, and families should stop being harassed by those who seek to diminish and trivialize their bonds of marriage.

Five U.S. states have already legalized gay marriage -- Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont

And I believe that four of those five (I'm not sure what happened in Vermont) made it legal without a vote of the citizenry. It was the decree of the royals in robes and the louts in the legislatures.

It’ll passed. I lived and went to School in Albany in the early 1980’s and then it had one of the top three largest gay populations in the country. How it was explained to me that anytime you put so many Democrat lawyers together in one place, you’re going to have a high instance of homosexuality. I’m just reporting.

The main problem with the government sanctioning gay-marriage is that it also means that states sanctions mother-less (non-natural 2 father families) or father-less children (non-natural 2 mother families). Society has strived for what’s in the best interest of children and thus a healthy future society. Having the state sanction that kids don’t need a mother and a father (which is already done by condoning “single-parent” families) to thrive under the best of circumstances is likely going to harm children. In some cases it ends up working out just fine but many cases also leave the kids yearning for and needing both a mom and/or dad.

Human nature is designed for complete families which offer different perspectives/experiences for proper developmental milestones for girls and boys that can only be given by moms and dads. Yes, there are plenty of exceptions to the rules but if the best interests of the children are at stake, then the very best circumstance will be mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, cousins and so on and so on. The start should be the very basic component of healthy, happy lives/families and from there, the exceptions are taken on a case by case basis of the community who is looking out for the best interest of the children.

To have the state condone motherless or fatherless children as a matter of course will have an impact on the future of our communities and families.

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