Door for Gay Marriage May Open in New York

According to a post on newsday.com:
Even as voters in California banned same-sex marriage in a tight referendum, Tuesday’s election opened the door for the same debate in New York.

The pending shift in state Senate control away from Republicans removes one clear obstacle to legalizing gay marriage in New York, though opponents aren’t conceding anything yet and advocates say they have work to do.

Democrats won a narrow majority in New York’s Senate, where Republicans have buried legislation to start issuing marriage licenses regardless of gender. A Senate power shift was not a sure thing because four Democrats were considering an alliance with the GOP, which could swing the 32-30 majority back to Republicans.

“The only chance we had for meaningful debate or consideration of these issues in the state Senate was with a new Senate leadership,” said Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York’s largest homosexual-rights advocacy group. He added that no bills have passed in New York without some votes from members of both parties.