New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said
passage of a gay marriage bill has been more meaningful to people
than he imagined.
New York became the sixth and largest
state to legalize gay nuptials when the Republican-controlled Senate
approved Cuomo's bill on June 24, 2011.
But in an interview with the
Star-Gazette,
Cuomo said that he remained uncertain of the measure's fate as the
vote approached.
“[I]f you asked me to bet, I would
bet that we don't get it passed,” he said. “And it's not so
clear that losing is worth it. It would have been the second loss.”
“I decided, fine, we're all in and we
go. And if we don't get it this time, we'll go again. And if we
don't get it that time, we'll go again and ultimately we'll get
there. But I never knew for sure.”
Reaction, Cuomo said, has been
overwhelming.
“It meant more to people than I even
imagined,” he said. “Marriage equality, it wasn't even about
marriage. It was about equality. It was about acceptance; it was
about affirmation.”