New York State Senate Begins Gay Marriage Debate

The New York State Senate, according to the Albany Times-Union, has begun debate on gay marriage, ending what has been years of legislative delays and frustrating false starts. The first to speak, fittingly, was the bill’s primary sponsor, openly gay Senator Tom Duane, who framed the debate’s conversation as being one of simple civil rights. Duane was followed by Ruben Diaz, the vociferous opponent of any and all attempts to legalize same sex marriage in the state, who said that passing a measure making gay marriage legal would be tantamount to the tossing aside of traditional values held by many faiths. You can watch a live stream of the historic debate at the source.