N.Y. Gay Marriage Bill Faces New Challenges

(AP)

With what some are describing as a "circus" in Albany, many gay marriage supporters fear that proposed legislation recognizing same sex marriage in New York will not come up for a vote in a state Senate in flux.

And now, one group is also trying harder to keep that from happening. The National Organization for Marriage announced Tuesday that they have set up a Political Action Committee for New York to fight the measure.

With the announcement, Executive Director Brian Brown also said that the first $500,000 raised will be used to back a primary challenger to GOP Senators who vote for gay marriage.

"The first half million dollars will be used in GOP primaries," Brown said. "But we are also looking to aid Democratic candidates who want to buck the establishment on the marriage issue, and to help in general election contests."

Brown said politicians were ignoring "the wishes of their own constituents."

"We're forming NOM PAC New York as a vehicle for swelling the voices of the thousands of New Yorkers who have called up their legislators and told them: Don't mess with marriage in New York," he said.

The Republicans gained control of the New York senate last week when two Democratic senators switched parties. The result was the ousting of Democratic leader Thomas Smith and elected one of the defectors, Pedro Espada, as the new president of the Senate. Later, the other defector switched back to the Democratic Party, leaving even more confusion as the Senate is currently deadlocked at 31-31.

However, the Washington Times reports that a new leader doesn't necessarily signal the end of the gay marriage bill. According to the paper, Espada is a supporter of same-sex marriage and is likely to bring the legislation to the senate floor.

However, there is also speculation Republicans will use the bill as a bargaining chip to get more Democrats to join them.

"If they get two or three more Democrats to join the 31-member caucus, there's been discussion to give up same-sex marriage bill if it gets them some Democrats," New York state Conservative Party chairman Michael Long told the Washington Times.

The same-sex marriage legislation was approved by the state assembly last month. If it passes through the Senate, New York Governor David Paterson, a Democrat, has already expressed his willingness to sign the bill to make New York the seventh state to recognize gay marriage.

[CTMiche]

Maggie Gallaghers 990 tax return for NOM's fy 2007 shows that 42% of all donations went soley into her pocket as payroll. Nice six digit income, for a woman with a degree in Reglion. She makes quite a bit of money by simply praying on the prejudices of the uninformed, and misleading them into believing she is here for salvation. She's here for the money plain and simple.

More than a million hate dollars donated to her organization is going to fight gay marriages in New York. Those Religous principles she bases her organization on seem to feel that feeding the hunger, helping children out of shelters and into real homes, and foreclosure rate of people loosing home after home forced out isn't more important than stopping me from saying "I do." Too late, did it in CT, and it's recongized throughout several states now, Canada, UK, and other countries as well.

Millions of dollars used to threaten state senators and their elected positions, and yet she has never thought that the family values she wants so badly are being pulled apart by hunger, poverty, homelessness, unemployment etc., instead she feels a million dollar ad campaign to stop Jill and Jane from being married is far more important.

To those children tonight who will wait outside a shelter hoping there will be room when they get to the door I apologize for her selfishness. A million dollars might have really made a difference in their lives, yet 5 years from now that million dollar expenditure on a commerical won't be remembered or cared about. Good solid christain values, turn your back on the community surrounding you daily, and focus on the community you dispise!

Yet you people think I'm the one in trouble with God when my day comes to face him, you're insane.

[BellevueDad]

Why a hate group whose sole purpose is to deny equal civil rights to Americans would spend $500,000 fighting equal marriage equality is beyond my imagination. Why aren't more Americans outraged by this?

[Yeah-Me]

Will be watching this unfold with bated breath.

[saturn05]

Why are heterosexuals so worried about gay sex. How many gay or lesbian stories are there about one partner killing their partner and kids so they can go and have a new partner. How many times to hear about a gay or lesbian caught in pedophile raids? How many times do hear about gay serial killers or a homosexual kill 20 cats or, or, or. SO what makes religious nuts think that homosexuals can't have happy, healthy marriages. Just maybe the divorce rate among same-sex couples won't be at 43% like happy, healthy heterosexual marriages are. Maybe that's what straights are so worried about. Gays will show that they divorce at a much lower rate and that would just embarrass them to death. let same-sex marriage happen and stop being so ignorant.

[TheMasses0003]

New York the seventh state to recognize gay marriage
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All marriages between a man and woman should be happy.
What's the problem?