Apr 27, 2007  |  By: JOSHUA LYNSEN  | COMMENTS     

Making good on a campaign pledge, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) has indicated he will soon introduce a bill to legalize gay marriage in the Empire State.

Spitzer’s plans, revealed this week, won praise from the state’s gay rights organizations.

“When he introduces the bill, it will be a historic moment,” said Joe Tarver, spokesperson for Empire State Pride Agenda.

“Spitzer is the first governor — or he will be the first governor — in the nation to introduce marriage equality legislation. That’s significant in itself, but it will also be important for him to put the weight of his office behind its passage once the bill comes out. And we will be looking for him to do that, as we will do our part, and have constituents put pressure on their elected officials to support the bill.”

New York offers neither domestic partnerships nor civil unions. State law guarantees hospital visitation to gay couples plus a handful of other rights.

Legislation to enact gay marriage has never reached the floor of either state chamber for a vote.

“Introducing the bill is a good, crucial, exciting first step,” said Evan Wolfson, executive director of the gay marriage advocacy group Freedom to Marry.

“But New York advocates, gay and non-gay, as well as the governor and legislators, have to really focus now on getting this bill through first the Assembly, then the Senate and to the governor’s desk. And that’s going to take a lot of work and even more leadership.”

Wolfson and Tarver agreed Spitzer’s proposal was unlikely to pass the legislature this year.

But Marty Rouse, the Human Rights Campaign’s national field director, said that although the bill “might not have the best chance of passing today,” New York activists are “much closer today to realizing marriage equality” than ever before.

“Our community must stay active and engaged in this issue and educate their family, friends and neighbors,” he said, “and be smart and strategic about how this bill will become reality.”

A key component of that strategy, Tarver said, is pushing New York legislators to follow Spitzer’s lead.

“When the governor puts his bill out, it’s going to provide significant momentum to making the bill law in New York state,” he said. “And when we take 1,000 people to Albany next Tuesday for our annual lobby day, that will also provide momentum, because members of our community are going to sit down, look at their legislators in the face and ask them to act and provide us with the equality that comes with being able to get married.”

New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) has not indicated whether he supports same-sex marriage; Assembly Majority Leader Ronald Canestrari (D) opposes it.

Wolfson said he nonetheless remains hopeful the Assembly will vote on the measure this year.

“It is now incumbent upon the Democratic leaders of the Assembly to pass this bill, to create a benchmark for holding the Senate accountable,” he said. “And that benchmark will be useful in assessing which candidates to support and which legislators needs to be replaced.

“But if everyone does their part, we should be able to have marriage in New York within three years or less.”

Celebrating victories

The developments in New York came as activists in other states were celebrating legislative victories.

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) signed a domestic partnership bill on April 21 that gives gay couples some of the rights associated with marriage.

“Never before has a governor of Washington signed a measure that acknowledges the legitimacy of our LGBT families as families,” said Barbara Green, interim director of Equal Rights Washington.

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, activists welcomed an April 19 pledge from Gov. John Lynch (D) to sign legislation authorizing civil unions. His signature would make New Hampshire the fourth state after Connecticut, New Jersey and Vermont to adopt civil unions for gay couples.

Rouse said the New Hampshire measure, which at Blade deadline was poised for Senate approval, is notable for its broader implications.

“It sends a strong message to all of New England,” he said, “and it resonates nationally, because it’s a presidential primary state.”

Activists said the developments in New Hampshire, New York and Washington illustrate how lawmakers across the nation are showing a new willingness to recognize gay relationships.

Wolfson said that “after a challenging last year, the country is taking a fresh look at the question and we have momentum.”

Legislators in California, Connecticut, Illinois and Oregon also are weighing bills that would enact marriage equality or civil unions.

California lawmakers voted 6-3 in committee earlier this month to back a bill that would give gay couples the ...