Andrew Cuomo Vows To Fight For Marriage Equality

Well, this is encouraging news....for New York.

New York Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, has announced that if he's elected governor this fall, he would push to legalize gay marriage in New York during his first year in office. When asked about marriage equality, he said, plainly: “It’s a priority.”

I didn't here any if's, and's or but's in there.

And though he does admit that state lawmakers have plenty on their plates right now, especially with budgetary issues, Cuomo does think a marriage equality bill could pass the Legislature in 2011, an off-election year.

It was just last December when the New York State Senate rejected a gay marriage bill in a lopsided 38-24 vote, a defeat for advocates who had waged a long, expensive campaign and had won pledges of support from Senate Democratic leaders. Naturally, not a single Republican voted for the bill, but what hurt was that eight Democrats opposed it.

So, Andrew Cuomo's affirmation of working towards marriage equality is a good thing, even if he has always been on our side. See, he hasn't always been for lack of a better word, a fierce advocate for LGBT rights. When he ran for governor back in 2002, he opposed marriage equality, while saying he favored civil unions. It wasn't until 2006, when he was running for Attorney General, that he declared his support for marriage equality.

And now he's saying it again, plainly. It is a priority.