Majority In NYS Support Gay Marriage

http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/04/040605nyPoll.htm

(New York City) Support in the state of New York for marriage for
same-sex couples increased over the past year according to a new poll.

The Global Strategy Group survey found that 51% of New Yorkers support
marriage for same-sex couples while 42% do not. A similar Global
Strategy Group poll conducted for the Pride Agenda last year in March
2004 found 47% in support of marriage and 46% opposed. Both surveys
were taken by Global for Empire State Pride Agenda, the state's LGBT
civil rights organization.

The new poll also showed that New Yorkers overwhelmingly believe that
same-sex couples should have the same rights and protections government
currently grants opposite-sex couples through marriage.

Favorable response rates on questions about specific rights ranged from
72% in support of providing child custody rights to 83% in favor of
providing legal authority to make decisions about a deceased partner's
burial. Seventy-two percent (72%) of New Yorkers also favored civil
unions and domestic partner arrangements as avenues to provide legal
rights to same-sex couples.

"These findings confirm that New Yorkers are fair people who understand
that equality applies to everyone. This is good news for same-sex
couples and their families," said Empire State Pride Agenda Executive
Director Alan Van Capelle.

"The other good news in this year's poll numbers is that the national
attack campaign being conducted against our families by the
conservative and religious right does not appear to be fooling anyone
here in New York. Despite a year of persistent nation-wide attack, New
Yorkers are not retreating from their support for our families."

Van Capelle attributed much of the growing to support to a growing
visibility of same-sex couples. New Yorkers have traveled to
Massachusetts to marry and hundreds more to Canada.

"New Yorkers are seeing firsthand that life does not change when
same-sex couples are allowed to marry," Van Capelle said.

"The only lives that are changed are those of same-sex couples who got
married and now have more of the rights and protections they need to
take care of their families. The doomsday scenarios about same-sex
marriage being spun by the conservative and religious right are simply
not true and New Yorkers are not falling for them."

On poll questions about various rights and protections that government
gives to those who marry and whether same-sex couples should have
access to them, Van Capelle said, "The poll clearly shows there is
overwhelming support for our families having access to these rights and
protections. When 72% to 83% of New Yorkers give a resounding "Yes" to
our families having child custody rights, medical decision-making
authority, burial authority, health, pension and inheritance rights,
there is no longer anything left to debate in New York. Family equality
is a non-partisan issue and it is time for elected officials in Albany
to hear what their constituents are saying and take action so that our
families can have the same rights and protections others have."

On the overarching question of marriage for same-sex couples, Van
Capelle said, "New York continues to move in the right direction on
marriage. The increase in support this year over last year for the
right of same-sex couples to marry tells us that New Yorkers are
listening and thinking about this issue and are recognizing more and
more that access to marriage is about equality and protections for real
families."