Bruno Opposes Bill to
Legalize Gay Marriage
By NICHOLAS
CONFESSORE, NYTimes on the Web, May 2, 2007
ALBANY, May 1 — The Republican
majority leader of the State Senate, Joseph L. Bruno, said on Tuesday that he
would not support Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s proposed legislation to legalize same-sex
marriage in New York.
His remarks came as thousands of gay rights supporters marched to the State
Capitol to voice their support for the proposal and praise Governor Spitzer, who
introduced the bill on Friday even as he conceded that it was unlikely to become
law anytime soon. Mr. Bruno has indicated his opposition to the bill in
the past; his counterpart in the Assembly, Speaker Sheldon Silver, has taken no
position on it.
Asked if gay rights advocates should expect him to support a measure legalizing
same-sex marriage, Mr. Bruno said, “I think they ought to discuss that with the
governor, since that is a priority of the governor, and not a priority in the
Senate.”
He added that the Senate Republicans were focused on property tax rebates and
instituting the death penalty in New York for killers of law enforcement
officers. Asked if he would support changing the law to allow for same-sex
couples to marry, he said, “No, I would not.”
At least 61 members of the Assembly and 18 of the Senate have supported same-sex
marriage bills in past years, though supporters in the Legislature say they
expect more to back the governor’s version.
State Senator Thomas K. Duane, a Manhattan Democrat who has sponsored same-sex
marriage legislation in the past, noted that Mr. Bruno had supported other gay
rights measures and expressed hope that he would change his mind on same-sex
marriage, too. “He’s evolved, and I’m confident that he’s going to
continue to evolve,” Mr. Duane said.
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