Paterson to Push for Gay Marriage

Gov. David Paterson plans to introduce a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, the New York Times reports, doing so without the customary cultivation of legislative support in the wake of laws legalizing gay unions in Iowa and Vermont. Sources close to the governor say he feels New York should plow ahead in order to make a statement. Paterson will announce his plans on Thursday.

The governor intends to introduce the same bill that Eliot Spitzer proposed in 2007, which passed the Assembly but did not make it to the Senate. Supporters of gay marriage, while encouraged, note that Paterson’s bill could be heavily delayed even if ultimately successful—the previous bill took two months to get through the Assembly. “This is not a guarantee of anything,” said an Upper East Side Democrat.