New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said
Tuesday that he's “optimistic” that lawmakers will approve a gay
marriage bill.
“I'm optimistic that marriage
equality will pass,” Cuomo told reporters, the New York Daily
News reported. “I think it is long overdue. I've been talking
about that issue for a year. I know it's failed before, but I think
this is a different day.”
Cuomo is spearheading a new effort to
make New York the sixth state to legalize the institution. The
campaign bands together five leading gay rights groups into a
marriage equality coalition. A
majority (58%) of New York voters favor giving gay couples the right
to marry.
A similar effort in 2009 failed after
Republicans in the Senate united against the bill. Cuomo, however,
is closely allied with the Republican caucus that now controls the
Senate.
To succeed, supporters will need to
change the minds of six senators who previously voted against the
measure.
A May 15 rally in opposition to the
measure is being mobilized by Democratic
Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. of the Bronx and the National Organization for
Marriage (NOM).