Gay rights activists are renewing their fight to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, hoping a mix of moneyed supporters and celebrity star power will tilt the scales in their favor. A group called Fight Back New York, created with money from software entrepreneur and openly gay philanthropist Tim Gill, is pledging to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get pro-gay marriage candidates elected to the state Senate in November’s elections.
Advocates aim to bring the issue of same-sex marriage to the Senate floor as early as next year. The legislature voted three months ago to reject a similar bill. “There is definitely a theme of punishment in our work,” said spokesman Alex Navarro-McKay. The group would target some of the eight Democrats who helped defeat the bill, he said. All 30 Republicans and eight Democrats voted no, defeating the bill 38 to 24.
Five U.S. states have legalized gay marriage – Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont – and the District of Columbia began allowing same-sex marriages earlier this month.
Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.
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