With a vote on a proposed gay marriage
bill in New York expected as early as Monday, proponents are rallying
support on Sunday.
Gay rights group Queer
Rising will hold a Last Day of Marriage Inequality rally at 3PM
at Union Square, while the coalition of groups New
Yorkers United for Marriage will gather supporters at churches
throughout the state.
Momentum for the bill began on Tuesday,
when Governor Andrew Cuomo officially introduced his promised
measure. The
Assembly wasted no time in approving the governor's plan the
following day. Proponents – and opponents – also weighed in
throughout the week, including actress
Cynthia Nixon and New
York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Former Giants wide receiver
David
Tyree struck a nerve when he said the legislation would lead to
anarchy, while pop singer Lady
Gaga called on her 11 million twitter followers to join the fight.
Timothy M. Dolan, the Roman Catholic
archbishop of New York, on Friday reiterated
his opposition to the legislation, which he called an “ominous
threat” to society and “a violation of what we consider the
natural law that's embedded in every man and woman.”
Two Senate Republicans have so far
endorsed the measure – deadlocking the bill with a 31-31 vote –
and others say they remain undecided.
After several days of closed-door
meetings with Republican leaders in the Senate, Cuomo announced on
Friday that he believes the religious concerns of Republicans can be
addressed, adding that he's confident of the measure's passage.