Avlon: NY "The Tipping Point"

John Avlon writes at The Daily Beast:

Celebrations erupted in the streets of New York after the Empire State became the sixth and largest state in the nation to legalize same sex marriage after weeks of gridlock and tense debate. There is the sense that this legislative victory marks a tipping point in the larger civil rights fight for marriage equality across the nation.

Albany is rarely the site of high drama—dullness and disappointment are its natural rhythms. It has been named the nation’s “most dysfunctional state legislature” by the Brennan Center at NYU. And that’s not the worst it has been called.

But the national media was paying attention to the palace intrigue in the state capital building over the past two weeks, as pro and con protesters lined the marble halls.

Momentum has been building in favor of freedom to marry in recent days, gaining the crucial support of Republican Senators James Alesi and Roy McDonald, who gained folk-hero status of sorts by saying, "Fuck it. I don't care what you think. I'm trying to do the right thing.” But the vote had been delayed multiple times—never a good sign—and no one could say for certain whether the bill would pass until the roll call started.

Late Friday afternoon, Republican Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos announced that he would in fact allow the bill to come for a vote. His conference had debated the issue late into the previous night—while President Obama was speaking at a gay fundraiser in New York City—with no resolution. Pivotal legislative language protecting religious organizations and faith-based charities from legal action was finalized only hours before the vote. However imperfect, New York’s provisions retain the separation of church and state in ways that might ease legislation in other states.