Albany, NY – The New York state Senate voted Friday night to legalize same-sex marriage.
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The bill, approved earlier by the Assembly, passed with a vote of 36-26.
The measure contained several exemptions for religious organizations, and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law.
The bill needed only a single member of the Republican majority to become law.
A veteran Hudson Valley Republican senator who had been undecided said Friday night he would vote for the bill.
“While I understand that my vote will disappoint many, I also know my vote is a vote of conscience,” Sen. Stephen Saland of Poughkeepsie said in a statement to the Associated Press. “I am doing the right thing in voting to support marriage equality.”
Before he announced his intention, 31 senators were in favor, one short of a majority.
Skelos’ announcement came only hours after lawmakers released an amendment to the bill that provided exemptions for religious groups, making it so they would not be forced to solemnize or officiate at same-sex weddings, after all, the state with the nation’s largest number of religiously observant Jews and the second largest number of Catholics.
Even New Yorkers outside the Capitol showed interest in the vote. As of 9:30 p.m., 25,000 people were watching the live debate feed on the Senate website, and the number of viewers was steadily climbing.
Ohh noo, the second flood will come, start building your arks. Will the wedding halls in frum communities start getting more business now?
Nebech, we have lost a battle in being a light onto the nations. We are here to spread Hashems word, not money, economy, etc, that’s all a means to be an example. Hashem will take care of that. We have failed!
Shame on all those who supported Cuomo. An shame on NY GOP for not standing up for moral.
disguting
Can anyone give a sound LEGAL not Biblical explanation for why there should not be marriage equality?
I guess that these couples will now be able to check the 2011 Federal Income Tax form, which states “Married, Filing Joint (or Separate) Return”.
Lets see if we can make Coumo a one time Gov. Guys gear up for a major election in 2014.
Hey forgot 2012 is elections for State Senate and Assembly, Lets vote out the ones that voted for this bill from office.
Thank you to the Jewish Organizations that pushed us to vote for this “mamzer”.. Chevreh the end is near..
Non of our business this has zero with yiden ,we have to follow torah doesn’t matter if NYS approves same sex marriage or not ,cumo does not have to foolow even if he has to follow sheva mitzvos its not our responsibility ,he is not a yid ,the other hand the Tziyonim is our problem they are yiden and its our responsibility
Does the bill grant true marriage freedom? Does it allow incestual marriage or polygamous marriage. How could we have allowed such a discriminating bill to pass ?????
King Soloman said it best in Probverbs, “Money answers for everything.”
It became ‘legal’ not ‘mutar’. What’s the big deal???
It doesn’t apply to us, anyway. I assume the divorce lawyers are excited about the new potential clients.
To those who say that this law has no effect upon Jews are wrong. Pirkei Avos tells us that even one sin can bring down the entire world. Every sin pollutes the atmosphere and drags the entire society down. We live here and it will definately drag us down. The Talmud says that the gentiles receive death for violating this sin. Cumo and those who voted for this bill will definately be punished by Hashem for this sin some time in the future. Cumo was definately paid off by the Gays and this should be investigated. It is very wrong to support such destroyers of society and we should never vote for him in the next election. I did not vote for him in the last election.
mygod people get over it, this wont affect your lives whatsoever, you will see no different in your lives, let these people live their lives whatever way they decide, you are not to judge someone else, even by their sins, it doesnt effect you, as for doomsday predictions, sinas chinam brought down the bais hamikdash, so why not work on that, thats actually something that involves YOU.
1. Become a divorce attorney in NY is a fixed income now.
2. Now Johnson & Johnson makes sense
Cuomo is an American Hero who will be hailed into the distant future. Mark my words.
What a catastrophe!!! Anyone who votes for any of these political hacks again should be put in cherem!!!
There is a prohibition in the Torah forbidding doing the maasim of Eretz Mitzrayim. Chaza”l interpret this to mean same gender marriage of either gender. Now if the prohibition is referring to Jews in a completely Jewish society this prohibition is totally unnecessary as the actual union is already forbidden with much more severe prohibitions punishable by very severe punishment (at least for a union of males). Furthermore such a union has no legal status as there is no “tefisas kiddushin” in such a case. If so what is the Torah’s intention in forbidding same gender Marriage?
It seems obvious that the Torah’s prohibition is referring to a non Jewish society where the Jews bear influence in the law making process, such as in the democratic society in which we live, and the Torah is coming to forbid a Jew. partaking in the legalization of calling the union of two people of the same gender a “marriage”, as this is partaking in the depravity of our host country, and is considered doing “maasei Eretz Mitzrayim”. The fact that a Jew who was pushing for this bill to pass requested that they vote before Shabbos so he could be home to celebrate Shabbos is a desecration of G-d’s name of the highest order.
if you don’t like it, you can always remember that you are “strangers in a strange land” & make Aliya to Israel, where as long as you serve in Zahal & work, you will be welcome here in the Jewish State. (& yes, I do know that we allow the Gay Pride March, but we are a democracy & not Thanks G-d, a Theocracy)
Good for the NY Legislature. I am a man happily married to a woman and would never want it to be otherwise. But I am also a Jew who knows some history. We obey our own customs and Torah. That is our right.
Every time religion is allowed to dictate the law to people who are not among its members it’s bad for the Jews. Let Islam or Christianity be the law of the land, and Jews will end up being oppressed because of it. It happens every time. When people are free to live their lives according to their conscience we become freer to live according to our own. Yes, people will do things we don’t like. But we do not have to participate. And if we leave them alone there will be a climate in which we are left alone in turn.
it is not up to any of you to dictate how others choose to live your life. if a man and a man want to get married so be it. stay out of it. im sure each and every one who is opposed to this has plenty of problems that should be attended to first before involving yourself in the affairs of others.
Can someone now get a green cadd thru gay marriage??
Move to California- at least they had the seichel to pass prop 8, which banned gay marriage. Who would have thought that CA is less liberal than NY? I bet NY now has more earthquakes than CA…
Oh, and all those who say its ok because of the religious exemption, better learn the facts. It just means you can’t be sued. but this has been tried in other states but when appealed, they were given the right to sue religious organizations for discriminating.
I very much doubt that this comment will be published or ever see the light of day, but nevertheless I shall try to make my point.
I am a charedi man – and I am a gay man, too. I can tell you all that “marriage” in any way, shape or form is the very last thing on my mind – now or at any time in the future.
My life is difficult enough, trying to reconcile the demands of דעת תורה with my personal and innermost feelings without even contemplating “marriage”. That is exclusively for heterosexuals – and I want no part of it, because it negates every single religious belief that I hold dear and close to my heart.
In fact, I do not know a single man in my situation who does.
I did not choose to be the way I am; that was what הקדוש ברוך הוא decided was going to be my lot in life.
If this posting causes offense to any other reader I ask now for סליחה ומחילה. I just wanted to let you know that not every gay man is clamoring to go for חופה וקידושין כדת משה וישראל.
no longer the empire state.the license plates should read TUMAH STATE.
Welcome to sodom and gemorrah. We approach the eve of destruction !