there were no fewer than seven items, including two editorials, related to the passage of the homosexual “marriage” law in New York. In a confluence of events that must have made the homosexualists think that history was on their side, New York City’s annual gay pride parade took place two days after the passage of the bill.
Here are the headlines, and below them, the text of the article on the cheers for Gov. Cuomo at the parade:
Beyond New York, Gay Marriage Faces Hurdles
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Gay-rights groups say they have learned lessons that will help as they seek approval of marriage bills in other states.
QUOTATION OF THE DAY
“I think you’re going to see this message resonate all across the country now. If New York can do it, it’s O.K. for every other place to do it.”
ANDREW M. CUOMO, speaking at New York City’s gay pride parade about the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Slide Show: New York’s 42nd Gay Pride Parade
Two days after state lawmakers voted to legalize same-sex marriage, thousands of revelers filled the streets of the West Village.
Cheering a Gay Marriage Law, and Its Champions
By JOHN LELAND
Much of the cheering was aimed at Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who led the fight for legalization of gay marriage.
For Council Speaker, Enjoying a Run of Good Fortune
By MICHAEL BARBARO
For Christine C. Quinn, it was quite a week: same-sex-marriage legislation was passed, she negotiated a city budget that spared teachers from layoffs and she has a new dog.
Editorial
Gay Marriage: A Milestone
New York shows it is possible to expand fundamental rights even with divided government.
Editorial
Gay Marriage: Where’s Mr. Obama?
The rest of the nation waits for the president to “evolve.”
Cheering a Gay Marriage Law, and Its Champions
By JOHN LELAND
Two days after New York became the sixth and largest state to legalize same-sex marriage, participants in the 42nd annual gay pride parade on Sunday used the occasion to reflect somberly on the gains and losses of the past year.
Kidding!
They came to shout, dance, cheer, strut, hug and shed tears of joy, knowing that on July 24, when the law takes effect, the season for tears will begin in earnest.
The focus of much of the cheering was Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, who made legalization of same-sex marriage part of his election campaign and visibly led the fight for its approval in the Republican-led State Senate.
Mr. Cuomo marched with several local politicians, including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the New York City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, who is gay. But there was little question that the governor was the parade’s rock star, eliciting shrieks as he made his way down Fifth Avenue.
The roar became almost deafening as the parade turned onto Christopher Street in the West Village. People leaned over police barriers to get a glimpse of the governor or to catch the attention of the cameras following him.
“Finally we got someone who does what he believes in,” said Chuck Sawyer, 49, a fund-raiser for the American Lung Association, who added that he and his partner would probably get married in late summer. “He’s been doing what he said he’d do. A lot of past governors and even the president haven’t come through. He did.”
Revelers held up thousands of printed signs reading “Promise Kept!” and “Thank You Gov. Cuomo,” and Mayor Bloomberg waved a rainbow flag. The signs were from New Yorkers United for Marriage, a coalition of previously squabbling organizations that Mr. Cuomo helped forge.
But it was Mr. Cuomo who basked in the crowd’s attention, beaming and pointing at individuals along the route.
“I’ve been to the parade many times, and there’s always a lot of energy and it’s always been a ball, but this was special,” the governor said as he stepped out of the parade on Christopher Street. “I think you’re going to see this message resonate all across the country now. If New York can do it, it’s O.K. for every other place to do it.”
After a legislative session in which Mr. Cuomo drove through several measures opposed by liberals, including a cap on property tax increases, the governor said, “New York is the progressive capital of the nation. And it’s that once again, and it’s a pleasure to be part of it today.”
In a rare public appearance with the governor, Mr. Cuomo’s girlfriend, Sandra Lee, a celebrity chef who has a gay brother, marched by his side. Ms. Lee figured into Mr. Cuomo’s deliberations over same-sex marriage, according to those who know the couple: she repeatedly reminded him that she wanted the law changed.
Other officials in the parade included State Senator Thomas K. Duane and Assemblyman Daniel J. O’Donnell, both Manhattan Democrats; the state attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman; and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez, whose district includes parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
Several people carried hand-lettered signs thanking by name the four Republican senators who voted for the bill.
Former Gov. David A. Paterson, who unsuccessfully pushed for a same-sex-marriage bill in a Democrat-led Senate in 2009, marched a few blocks behind Mr. Cuomo. He held a blue sign that read, “Thank you Gov. Cuomo.”
Earlier in the day, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, a Republican, rejected the notion that acceptance of same-sex marriage would spread to his state.
“I believe marriage should be between one man and one woman,” Mr. Christie said on the NBC News program “Meet the Press.” “I wouldn’t sign a bill like the one that was in New York.”
But many people in the parade crowd were grateful that Mr. Cuomo, who was not considered an early champion of gay marriage, became one of its strongest advocates, and some said they hoped his successes in Albany would propel him toward the White House.
“I predict a presidential run for Cuomo in 2016,” said Pati Scott, who attended the parade with her husband, Bruce. Another man along the route held a sign declaring himself a “Homo for Cuomo 2016.”
Debbie Strom, 56, a Christian minister, and her girlfriend, Cathy Kahl, 63, a retired soldier whose 30 years of service included time in the Vietnam War, traveled to Greenwich Village from their home in Syracuse to celebrate.
“It means we are able to be called human beings with all the rights of everyone else,” Ms. Strom said. She and Ms. Kahl have been together for two years and said they planned to get married.
For Lisa Guadalupe and Lissette Conti, who marched with their three children, the parade on Sunday capped a week of highs and lows as they watched lawmakers labor over the marriage bill. “I’d get happy, then sad, then I didn’t want to get too happy because I was afraid it wouldn’t pass,” said Ms. Conti, a home health aide. “I held my breath for the longest time, then I screamed.”
For now, though, the couple said they had no immediate plans to marry. “That costs money,” Ms. Conti said. “I want a nice big church wedding.”
Their son Justin, 18, was happy to have time. “Do I have to wear a bridesmaid dress?” he said. “I’ve got to do some shopping.”
