It's never easy to figure out what's going on in Albany -- and that's especially true about the fight for marriage equality. The battle is in the now-GOP led State Senate. So far, no GOP Senators have stated support. But, there may have been something of a breakthrough over the weekend when State Senator Alesi showed up at an ESPA event. From the NY Post:
Gay-marriage backers got what they're calling a big boost over the weekend when Republican state Sen. James Alesi appeared at a major upstate dinner held by the state's biggest gay-rights group.And, Alesi made a very astute observation:
The Empire State Pride Agenda dinner in Rochester was called to rally support for the gay-marriage bill, which has already cleared the Democrat-controlled Assembly and will likely be voted on next month in the Republican-controlled Senate, where it was defeated in 2009.
"Having Alesi there was seen as an important development since the dinner was all about marriage equality," a prominent Democrat and gay-rights activist told The Post, noting that the Rochester Republican has long opposed gay marriage.
"While he didn't speak, Alesi was mentioned a couple of times from the stage, and with about 700 people there, there was a good deal of buzz about it."
A second source called Alesi's presence "a big development" in the gay-marriage fight.
"My vote is probably the most significant vote on this issue, because how I vote will send a message down the line," he told The Post.In 2009, one of the first Senators called in the roll was Joseph Addabbo. His vote was key. He voted no. It all went down hill from there.
The Legislature adjourns on June 20th. Only four weeks left to get on the right side of history.
