The West Side Spirit: Gay Marriage Bill Nears the Goal Line

Gov. Cuomo’s push, plus public opinion shift, raises bill’s chance of passage

By Megan Finnegan

Two years after the stunning defeat of a marriage equality bill in the State Senate, advocates and politicians are gearing up for another run at making same-sex marriage legal in New York.

Senator Adriano Espaillat, whose Upper West Side and Harlem district encompasses both liberal enclaves and more conservative, Catholic constituents in immigrant communities, has been a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage since his time in the Assembly. He said that while public support is important, it’s not the most important factor.

“We shouldn’t just depend on opinion polls. Very often the right thing has not always just been the most popular thing. If we were tied at the hip to a poll, we never would have passed civil rights or women’s rights laws,” said Espaillat. “Justice delayed is justice denied. This is a civil rights issue as well, for me. I’m an immigrant, so I know what discrimination is, and this is no different.”

Click here for the full article by Megan Finnean at the West Side Spirit