New York’s Power Gays Can Barely Contain Their Excitement Over Gov. Cuomo’s Marriage ‘Quarterbacking’

In October, a month before Andrew Cuomo was elected governor of New York, we wondered aloud, “Who Believes Andrew Cuomo Will Spend First Year In Office Locking Up Gay Marriage?” If you were to ask the folks who attended yesterday’s private pow-wow of gay state lawmakers and Gay Inc. activists, the answer would be a resounding Yes. And how committed he appears to be to pushing through a gay marriage bill is also striking, given nine years ago he was only willing to back civil unions. Cohen is putting his top aide Stephen M. Cohen, secretary to the governor, on the M-word job — but that doesn’t mean you’re going to see the Empire State secure marriage rights this year. But trust: “the governor’s office is really going to quarterback this,” says an anonymous attendee of Cuomo’s meeting. And I always trust a sports metaphor.