NY Assembly Passes Marriage Equality Bill Including Religious Protections

The New York state Assembly yesterday passed and sent to the state Senate a marriage equality bill, A8354.  The Advocate reports that the bipartisan 80-63 vote in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage followed an impassioned but civil debate that included remarks by various members on whether their religious faith should be an issue in their vote:

I wish it wasn't in the book," said Dov Hikind, who waved a copy of the Torah on the assembly floor. "The Torah's so clear on this subject," he said. "There is no choice for me. And I am open-minded."...

Deborah Glick, the first openly gay member of the state legislature, later addressed the separation of church and state head on, saying, "You do not put your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

The bill provides that no religious organization will be required to  provide accommodations or facilities for same-sex marriages, and no clergy shall be required to perform same-sex marriages.

According to the New York Times yesterday, the state Senate is still apparently one vote short of the 32 needed for passage.   Final passage may depend on the decision on how to vote by Republican Sen. Stephen Saland from Poughkeepsie who, along with a small group of other Republicans, may vote for the bill if the protections for religious organizations that object to gay marriage are strong enough. (See prior related posting.)