Advocates on Both Sides Seek Momentum on Same-Sex Marriage

ALBANY — A marriage license is just a Metro-North ride to Connecticut away for same-sex couples in New York City. For those who live in the Hudson Valley, it is a short drive over the state line into Massachusetts.
Gay New Yorkers who live in the far northern reaches of the state can head to Canada for a wedding. And Tuesday’s move by the Vermont State Legislature to legalize same-sex marriage has given them another nearby destination.
Advocates for same-sex marriage in New York and New Jersey said the action in Vermont was one more reminder that now, more than ever before, is the time for the states to grant full marital rights for gay and lesbian couples.
But the changes face a number of obstacles, and the advocates acknowledge that it could be months, if not longer, before the changes come.
On Wednesday, as both sides moved to seize the momentum, Gov. David A. Paterson vowed to introduce a bill that would legalize gay marriage. He told an Ithaca radio station that he was inclined to push the bill forward even if it was unclear that the measure had enough votes to pass, a maneuver that rarely occurs in Albany. “We’ll put a bill out and let the people decide one way or the other,” he said. “Why can’t people just debate the bills, vote on it, and it goes up or down?”

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