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State lawmakers are just one vote away from passing a same-sex marriage bill in New York.
The legislation could hinge on two key votes by senators from Westchester and the Hudson Valley.
State Senator Greg Ball (R-C, Patterson), whose district includes Peekskill, Yorktown, Somers, Mount Kisco and Bedford announced Wednesday that he does not support the bill as it's currently written. "We have some real issues, still, with the language, particularly the religious protections that I would like to see. We got a small percentage of them, but not all of them. If this passes, we're gonna see problems like we've seen in other states, where Catholic adoption agencies and other related organizations are forced to shut down. That would be a real problem," said Ball.
The Senator said he "made it clear to Governor Cuomo" that he would be an "absolute no vote," unless there are proper religious exceptions, including the Catholic Church. "We can push forward an issue without it being a compete affront on those who have strongly-held religious beliefs," said Ball. State Assemblyman Steven Saland (R-Poughkeepsie), who is considered to be another swing vote, has stated that he is "undecided" about the measure.
Same-sex marriage legislation was defeated in the New York State Senate in 2009. It has passed in the Assembly numerous times. If approved, New York would become the sixth state in the nation to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Gay marriages are currently recognized in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachussetts, Iowa, Vermont, Washington D.C. and Oregon.
One of the most outspoken critics of same-sex marriage has been New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan. In a recent blog posting, Dolan commented, "Last time I consulted an atlas, it is clear we are living in New York, in the United States of America -- not in China or North Korea. In those countries, government presumes daily to 'redefine' rights, relationships, values and natural law. There, communiques from the government can dictate the size of families, who lives and who dies and what the very definition of 'family' and 'marriage' means." A vote on the measure is expected either Thursday or Friday. Governor Cuomo has said he supports same-sex marriages, and is expected to sign the bill, if it's passed.
For some families, the bill could completely change their life and finally allow families to be more present in schools and in their children's lives, said Mary Jane Karger, the co-chair for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Newtork of the Hudson Valley.
"It has a tremendous impact on legiimitzing a lot of families that are already families but are absent and aren't always present in our schools," Karger said. "A lot of gay parents don't feel affirmed as a parent, as a family or as a couple. This would be huge for so many students and their families."
Karger said that the GLSEN deals mainly with K-12 students and therefore doesn't lobby or necessarily focus on advocating for same sex marriage, but that within their organization the effects this legislation could have on gay youth is enormous. This bill, she said, will not only change the lives of so many people who are currently hoping to get marriage licesnes, but also for those youth who are looking toward the future, who hope to be married.
"For the gay youth of today who someday hope to be married, this will be huge for them -- this is going to have a huge impact on so many families and so many lives," she said.
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