The faggot dyke Rosie O'Donnell's faggot brother helps faggot bill.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-stgay0620,0,4099029.story?coll=ny-linews-headlinesGay marriage bill adopted by Assembly
BY JAMES T. MADORE
June 20, 2007, 12:21 AM EDT
ALBANY -- For the first time in state history, a bill legalizing gay marriage was debated publicly in one of the houses of the State Legislature Tuesday.
The measure, introduced at the behest of Gov. Eliot Spitzer, was adopted by the Assembly, 85-61. But the bill was expected to die in the Senate, where it wasn't even scheduled for a floor debate.
"We're not doing gay marriage by [tomorrow's adjournment], that's for sure," said Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Brunswick), before the debate in the Democratic-controlled Assembly.
Still, the three-hour debate represented a victory of sorts because some Assembly members would've preferred not taking up the issue. And Spitzer, a Democrat, lobbied intensely for the debate, sources said.
Massachusetts is the only state to recognize same-sex unions, and it did so through a court decision.
New York is one of five states that doesn't define marriage as being between a man and a woman. Unable to marry, same-sex couples are denied medical decision-making authority, inheritance rights and the ability to adopt children as a couple, said the Empire State Pride Agenda, an advocacy group.
In Tuesday night's debate, Assemb. Daniel O'Donnell (D-Manhattan) urged passage of the bill he introduced for the governor, saying, "This doesn't force anyone to do anything. ... It's about giving out the license, not conducting the marriage."
O'Donnell, who is gay and a brother of actress Rosie O'Donnell, emphasized that the bill would not compel clergy to perform same-sex marriages.
Assemb. Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), an Orthodox Jew, replied by suggesting incestuous couples be recognized along with those of the same sex. "There are certain things that do not change for me unless God sends a message to me," he said.
Lawmakers laughed a few minutes later when they heard thunder from a passing rainstorm.
Hikind and others pointed to a Cornell University poll showing 52 percent oppose legalizing gay marriage.
Assemb. Deborah Glick (D-Manhattan), a lesbian, said, "This is about ... protecting family. This isn't about forcing other people to change their religious beliefs."
Staff writer Melissa Mansfield contributed to this story.
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.