State Senate Putting Gay Marriage on the Back Burner

Democrats now in the majority of the state senate for the first time in over forty years appear to be preparing to stall on voting to legalize gay marriage, a big issue that helped push them over the top this election year. Several factors appear to be giving Democrats hesitation: the strong wave that came out against gay marriage in the Prop 8 battle in California, fear of the issue backfiring on Governor Paterson's reelection chances in 2010 and the hopes to appease Gang of Three leader Ruben Diaz who has said he will not support a majority leader who would allow a same-sex marriage vote come to floor. Naturally that leaves many pushing for legalization ASAP upset after all the money poured into Democratic senate campaigns from gay rights groups around the country and the mobilization on their side amidst the Prop 8 battle. Liz Krueger, a senator from the Upper East Side told the Times, “We want to get there, but we want to get there the right way or else we risk setting ourselves back another decade."