Opinion: New York gay marriage bill needs only one more GOP nod for it to pass

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The New York gay marriage bill introduced by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo needs only one more yea vote from a Republican senator to pass. If that vote materializes, New York would become the sixth and most populous state to allow same-sex marriage.

President Obama received mixed reviews after speaking Thursday night to supporters of the bill at a Democratic fundraiser in New York City. More than 600 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people paid $1,250 each to attend the gala.

The president’s critics argue that although he said he supports equal rights for gays and lesbians, he won’t come right out and support same-sex marriage.

LZ Granderson, an openly gay journalist for ESPN and CNN, said he wanted to be mad at Obama (like some of those who heckled the president during his speech), but ultimately he understood that now was not the time for the president to publicly support the redefinition of marriage.

Granderson wrote on CNN that ‘as inspiring as it would have been to hear the president say he supports marriage equality, Thursday night simply was not the right time.’

‘And it won’t be tomorrow, or even next week,’ he continued. ‘That’s not a defeatist attitude wrapped in dogmatism, but rather the depressing voice of pragmatism.’

Daily Beast writer Nancy Goldstein was less forgiving in her piece Friday that carried the headline ‘Obama’s Gay Marriage Wimp-Out’ and concluded: ‘If Thursday night’s performance is any indication, this president, left to his own devices and with a pocketful of LGBT checks, does not appear to share our sense of urgency.’

In May 2011, a Gallup poll found that 53% of Americans say same-sex marriage should be recognized in law as equal to traditional marriages.

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-- Tony Pierce
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