New York Senator Roy McDonald on
Tuesday became the second Republican to pledge his support for gay
marriage, the Times-Union reported.
McDonald's endorsement puts proponents
of making New York the sixth state to legalize gay marriage within
earshot of wedding bells. One additional GOP senator would clinch a
win in the Senate for marriage equality.
The previously undecided McDonald, who
represents parts of Albany, joins another Republican, Senator James
Alesi, and three Democrats, Senators Joseph Addabbo, Shirley Huntley
and Carl Kruger, who voted against a similar measure in 2009 but now
say they've had a change of heart.
“My vote is going to be for
marriage,” McDonald told reporters. “I think it's compassion,
trying [to] do the right thing, trying to get everyone to live
together.”
“I'm trying to do the right thing,”
he added. “Rather than wait I worked with the governor … I'm not
out to alienate anybody. This is driven by compassion.”
“My lifestyle is my lifestyle – I
don't want anyone telling me or my children what to do. We've got 20
million people in this state … we can't be paralyzed by social
issues.”
An overwhelming number of the comments
on McDonald's
Facebook page cheered the news, but a few posters jeered his
decision.
Republicans have been warned by the
National Organization of Marriage (NOM) and the Conservative Party
not to vote in favor of the proposed legislation. Both
say they'll fight the reelection campaigns of any GOPer that votes
for the measure.