NY Gay Marriage Bill Gains Momentum

New York appears to be inching closer to becoming the latest state to legalize same-sex marriage.

The New York Times reports that three wavering Democratic state senators have agreed to support the proposal, leaving gay marriage advocates only three votes shy of the total they would need for passage.

Those three lawmakers had previously voted against the measure, and their reversal gives Senate Democrats a near-unanimous voting bloc heading into a possible vote later this week. (The party’s lone holdout, Rubén Díaz Sr., is one of the most vocal opponents of the bill.)

Advocates, however, still appear to have their work cut out for them. They will need to find the three remaining votes they need within the chamber’s Republican majority, which voted unanimously against the effort two years ago.

But many believe that things would be different this time around. The Times notes that at least five Republican senators have indicated that they are now undecided on the bill, and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he is confident that at least three of them will break with their party if given the chance.