“Marriage is a fundamental human right,” reads the Marriage Equality Act, a bill introduced by Governor Andrew Cuomo today for consideration by the State Assembly and State Senate. “Same-sex couples should have the same access as others to the protections, responsibilities, rights, obligations, and benefits of civil marriage. Stable family relationships build a stronger society. For the welfare of the community and in fairness to all New Yorkers, this act formally recognizes otherwise-valid marriages without regard to whether the parties are of the same or different sex.”
Knowing full well that conservative religious leaders like Catholic Archbishop Timothy Egan are currently striving to halt building momentum toward marriage equality in New York, Cuomo included in the bill language protecting religious groups.
“The momentum we’ve been building all year has crested at a very opportune time,” Empire State Pride Agenda executive director Ross Levi told the News. “We think this is a very strong environment to go into these remaining days of the legislative session.”
NY’s top Catholic officials seek to halt Senate vote on legalizing gay marriage [NYDN]
Marriage Equality Act [NY.gov]
