By Karen DeWitt
Albany, NY – Republican State Senators deliberated for days over the pros and cons
of bringing the bill to the floor for a vote. The logjam finally
broke when they worked out an amendment that would offer greater
legal protections for religious groups who are opposed to same sex
marriage. That convinced two more GOP Senators, Mark Grisanti of
buffalo and Steve Saland of the Hudson Valley, to vote yes, bringing
the total to 33, enough for the bill to pass. Cuomo says the
Senators responded to their "better angels".
"We reached a new level of social justice this evening," Cuomo said,
shortly before he signed the bill into law at 11:55 pm Friday night.
Opponents of gay marriage, who prayed and sang hymns in the halls of
the State Capitol in the days leading up to the vote , say the law
degrades the social order, and is nothing less than a rebellion
against God.