Albany, NY – Gov. Andrew Cuomo held more one-on-one negotiations Friday with Senate Republicans who worry his bill to legalize gay marriage doesn’t do enough to protect religious groups and churches that refuse to preside over same-sex weddings and other services.
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A third lengthy, closed-door meeting by the GOP majority brought the bill, widely viewed as key to national momentum on the issue, no closer to a floor vote. The Democrat-led Assembly passed the measure Wednesday as expected, and a vote in the Senate had been anticipated this week.
That action could now be days away, after Senate Republicans didn’t even discuss Friday whether to take that action.
“There has been no decision – in fact that really was not the discussion – as to whether it will come out yet, who’s voting for it, who’s voting against it,” Majority Leader Dean Skelos said after Friday’s two-hour conference.
The Long Island Republican said senators for and against same-sex marriage want to ensure that if the bill gets a floor vote there won’t be “unintended consequences to this legislation” – a reference to religious protections.
Skelos didn’t go into more details but noted that some Catholic adoption agencies closed after a law was passed years ago prohibiting discrimination against gay men and lesbians.
“some Catholic adoption agencies closed after a law was passed years ago prohibiting discrimination against gay men and lesbians.”
This is true. But that law will be unaffected by the same sex marriage law.
Under current law, can a rabbi get in trouble for refusing to officiate at a mixed marriage? If not, how will he get in trouble if he refuses to officiate at a same-sex marriage even if there’s no exemption in the law?
It is imperative that we continue to pressure the pols to vote NO on the toayva bill. Anyone claiming to be a shomer Torah u’mitzvos who is pro this bill is either NOT shomer Torah u’mitzvos or they have a dog in the race. If the person is a liberal and they are for it, its because liberals are of the liberal religion first & Jewish later.
I have yet to hear or see any LGBT person who cared enough about a church or any other religion marriage ceremony. They are not eager to be married in a religious ceremony given the hostile history and persecution they have faced from almost all religions on this planet. At best, they look to reform or Episcopal church which has already accepted gay couples and members into their churches. The religious concern excuse is another bogus ploy to stall and delay this bill. You don’t need any religious authority to get a marriage license in NY or other states, because marriage in eyes of the law is not a religious pact, so why are they so bent up on gay marriage bill then as if marriage is a religious trademark with a patent on it.
We should be against this law because HKBH said so!! Where are you supposedly frum people screaming against this?? If you have no problem with this law being passed, YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN A SHAYGITZ!!!!