New York Governor Cuomo Schedules Meeting With Coalition Of Same Sex Marriage Supporters; Sources Suggest Cuomo May Introduce Gay Marriage Bill By June

The New York Times’ City Room reports that Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo will hold a confidential strategy session with leading gay activists to discuss how to legalize same sex marriage in New York, another indication he is preparing to put the weight of his administration behind legislation that has divided lawmakers and voters across the country. Aides to Mr. Cuomo have invited about a dozen of the state’s prominent same sex-marriage advocates to the Capitol for the brainstorming session, according to people told of the meeting, which the governor himself will attend. Mr. Cuomo’s participation, confirmed Tuesday by his spokesperson, Josh Vlasto, is seen as the strongest evidence yet of his commitment to passing same sex marriage this year, despite its rejection by the Legislature in 2009. That task will not be easy, even for the wildly popular Democratic governor, whose wide margin of electoral victory and history in Albany has afforded him unusual influence within the slow-moving culture of the capital. When the Legislature was controlled by Democrats two years ago, a bill to legalize same sex marriage was defeated in the Senate by a 38-to-24 vote, with eight Democrats opposing the measure. Now, Republicans control the Senate by a narrow margin. Same sex marriage advocates say the governor needs to sway at least six members of the Senate, and likely some few Republicans, none of whom backed the bill in 2009. As part of this effort, Mr. Cuomo and his aides are working on assembling an effective coalition of gay activists who, despite a shared agenda, have not always coordinated well together. It is thought that despite the obvious obstacles, Cuomo may introduce a bill to make same-sex marriage legal in New York by June. The Republican Senate leader, Dean G. Skelos of Long Island, has said he will allow a vote; whether a Republican will support it remains an open question. Wednesday, during the strategy session, the governor will meet with Christine C. Quinn, the speaker of the City Council, who is openly gay; Brian Ellner, who is pushing for same-sex marriage in New York for the Human Rights Campaign, a national advocacy group; Ross D. Levi, the head of the state’s leading gay rights organization, the Empire State Pride Agenda; and Richard Socarides, a former Clinton administration official and president of Equality Matters, a new advocacy group. Lawmakers who have sponsored the marriage legislation in the past, like Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell and Senator Tom Duane, are also expected to attend.