In 2004, the mayor of New Paltz, New York made headlines by unlawfully marrying 25 same-sex couples.  Thereafter, advocates of same-sex marriage brought multiple lawsuits against New York State, claiming that it was unconstitutional for the state to define marriage as the union of one woman and one man.  The Court of Appeals, New York’s highest state court, dismissed those lawsuits in July 2006 in the case of Hernandez v. Robles.  After the Hernandez decision was issued, New York’s largest homosexual lobbying group announced that it would launch an initiative to pass same-sex marriage legislation.  In October 2007, Eliot Spitzer promised advocates of same-sex marriage that he would introduce a same-sex marriage bill if he were to become governor.  Eliot Spitzer was then elected governor in a landslide.

     The Coalition to Save Marriage in New York was formed in early 2007 in response to these clear, imminent threats to traditional marriage.  Based in Albany, New York, the Coalition exists to promote New York’s current definition of marriage as a relationship between one woman and one man, and to stand against attempts to alter or expand that definition.  Thus, the Coalition opposes same-sex marriage, civil unions, and any other arrangement conferring marriage-like rights and responsibilities upon same-sex partners.  The nonpartisan, statewide Coalition coordinates grassroots lobbying efforts in support of traditional marriage, monitors legal and legislative developments in relation to same-sex marriage, serves as an informational resource for local and national media, and provides New York’s elected officials and courts with a pro-family perspective.  The Coalition’s Statement of Position has been endorsed by more than a dozen organizations across the State of New York.  The geographic, religious, political, and ethnic diversity of the statewide Coalition reflects the broad-based support for traditional marriage that exists here in the Empire State.

     Eliot Spitzer made good on his campaign promise by introducing a gay marriage bill in the spring of 2007.  On June 19, 2007, the New York State Assembly passed that same-sex marriage bill by a vote of 85-61.  Despite intense pressure from advocates of same-sex marriage, New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno has repeatedly expressed his opposition to same-sex marriage legislation.  At the end of 2007, the same-sex marriage bill died in the State Senate and was returned to the State Assembly.  Neither house of the legislature has voted on a civil unions bill, and same-sex marriage legislation was not voted on in the Assembly or the Senate in 2008.

     The Coalition applauds the fact that neither same-sex marriage nor civil unions has been legalized in New York, despite Governor David Paterson's May 2008 directive requiring state agencies to recognize foreign same-sex marriage licenses as valid (a decision that is, with the help of the Alliance Defense Fund, being challenged in court by several Coalition leaders and various state legislators).  The Coalition continues to appreciate the courageous stand that has been taken by the Senate majority to protect the institution of marriage.  The Coalition also recognizes the leadership that Senator Serphin Maltese (R-15th District) has shown in sponsoring a defense of marriage bill in the Senate.  Most New Yorkers do not want our state laws to redefine the institution of marriage to include same-sex partners.  The Coalition is optimistic that its pro-family position will continue to resonate in New York, and looks forward to success in its efforts to defend the institution of marriage in future months and years.