Legislation that could make same-sex marriage legal in New York state was proposed last week by Gov. David Paterson.
Currently, same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont. The bill Paterson introduced, called the Marriage Equality Program Bill, seeks to amend New York state’s Domestic Relations Law.
“Anyone who has ever faced intolerance of any kind knows the solemn importance of protecting the rights of all people,” Paterson said during a press conference Thursday. “That is why we stand together today to embrace civil rights for every New Yorker. We stand together today for marriage equality in the state of New York.”
“The more we move forward, the more we erase these forms of discrimination, the more we find about who we are and what we are as Americans,” he added.
Philip Calderon, the director of the Rainbow Pride Union at Binghamton University, said he was very supportive of the bill.
“I think it’s a positive thing what the governor is proposing, and it says a lot about himself and the state,” Calderon, a senior business major, said.
Some students are opposed to the bill, however.
BU College Republicans President John Jensen said that “the defense of marriage is one of our key tenets.”
“Marriage should be between a man and a woman because it is our oldest and most hallowed institution,” Jensen, a senior history major, said. “It is the building block of our Western society.”
Jensen said while the College Republicans don’t have a stance against extending rights to LGBT couples, they don’t see the situation as a civil rights issue.
“Marriage is by definition between a man and a woman,” he said.
Brian Young, president of the College Democrats at BU, said the organization believes same-sex marriage is a civil right.
“Everybody should be afforded the same rights,” he said. “We equate these laws to Jim Crow South. During those times, a marriage was defined as that between a white man and a white woman.”
Young said he felt the issue of gay marriage is this generation’s civil rights protest.
“Too long have they been held as second-class citizens,” he said. “A marriage between a white man and a black woman redefined marriage.”
Current legislature in New York affords unique rights to married couples, including insurance and tax benefits. Among the complaints filed by same-sex proponents are some regarding hospital treatment and adoption, according to Calderon and Young. Under current law, a person is unable to attend to his or her partner’s hospital bedside since they are not legally bound together.
But, Jensen said, under New York state law people are allowed to have a health care proxy, and the forms could be filled out easily.
However, Young said a form for a health care proxy must be signed in advance.
“We just want to talk about pure benefits and to afford same-sex couples the same legal rights that a heterosexual couple may have,” Young said.
It’s disputed whether or not the bill would pass in the legislature. Jensen said he disagreed with the way Paterson handled the situation.
“I truly believe if the people of this state were given the ability to vote, his bill wouldn’t pass,” Jensen said. “The Republican Party believes that there should be a referendum held for the bill.”
But Young, a senior political science major, said New York state doesn’t legislate by referendums.
“If we did, every single controversial issue would come to a referendum. It’s not the way a federal government works,” he said. “We have a heavily Democratic judicial and legislative branch. The campus is about 80 percent Democratic.”
However, Young said passing the bill could be tough, and that Democrats currently hold only a two-seat majority.
It’s not the first time New York has considered legalizing same-sex marriage. In May 2007, New York state passed legislation, introduced by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. Paterson also fought for the ability to join same-sex couples in marriage. It pushed through the assembly and was immediately stopped by the Senate.
Young believes things will be different this time around.
“Now Gov. Paterson has taken it up, and majority leader Malcolm Smith is going to put it on the agenda,” he said.
If you want to voice your support or opposition for Paterson’s equality marriage program bill, call the governor’s office at (518) 474-8390.