"Today, the Assembly moved us closer than we have ever been to enacting a law allowing gay New Yorkers to enter into marriage here in their home state, and I applaud Speaker Silver and members of both parties for moving this historic legislation forward.   Governor Paterson has made it clear that he will sign this bill should it reach his desk, and I am working with this bill's ever-growing coalition of supporters to help pass it in the Senate.

"Different religions have different ideas about what constitutes a marriage, and each of us may have our own personal beliefs on what marriage means. These can be strongly-held convictions, and I respect them.  But many of us do not believe that it is government's place to define marriage in a way that excludes many couples from the legal benefits associated with marriage, and I hope New York will soon become the latest state to adopt a law whose time has come."