3 Democratic Senators Will Back Gay Marriage Bill
Three wavering Democratic lawmakers in the State Senate have agreed to support legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in New York, several people with knowledge of the negotiations said on Monday, marking a potential turning point for the long-debated measure.
The three senators — Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. and Shirley L. Huntley of Queens and Carl Kruger of Brooklyn — all voted against the measure in 2009, when it failed by a wide margin. Their switch to the yes column leaves all but one Senate Democrat supporting same-sex marriage — and the fate of the legislation in the hands of the Republican majority in the chamber.
Three Republican senators will now have to vote for same-sex marriage if the measure is to pass in the 62-member chamber. The lone Democrat now opposing the measure, Rubén Díaz Sr., is the Senate’s most vocal opponent of same-sex marriage and is not considered swayable under any circumstances.
The State Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats, has repeatedly passed the measure.