New York state senate approves gay marriage

New York's state senate approved a same-sex marriage bill late Friday, a powerful victory for the move to legalize gay marriage in one of the most populous states of the union. Cheers erupted in the galleries when the Republican-controlled senate voted 33-29 on the measure, approved after weeks of intense wrangling. The 29 Democratic senators were joined by four Republicans, one more than the minimum needed to get the bill approved. The measure is on its way to become law, as the Democratic-majority lower house, the state assembly, earlier approved a similar version. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who introduced the bill, is expected to sign it into law. New York is the third most populous US state, and will become the sixth state to approve gay marriage. The Republican-dominated senate had rejected a similar bill in December 2009, and its approval was uncertain leading up to the vote. Gay activists chanted and celebrated in the streets of New York, especially the East Village and West Village. In the state capital Albany, where the vote took place, people supporting and opposing the measure packed the senate galleries and demonstrated outside the building. Lawmakers, who should have recessed late Monday, have been in drawn-out negotiations since then, in an extraordinary session to put finishing touches on the bill's language designed to address legal protections for religious organizations. New York is on its way to becoming the sixth state to approve gay marriage after Iowa, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont. Hawaii, California, Nevada, Oregon and New Jersey, as well as the US capital Washington, offer civil unions to same-sex couples, but not marriage rights. A March poll found that a 53 percent majority of Americans are in favor of allowing gay marriage.