The Albany, New York regional state appellate court heard arguments Monday in three same-sex marriage suits, including one challenging the constitutionality of New York state marriage law. Regardless of the outcome, however, New York’s top court, the Court of Appeals, will ultimately give the final ruling on same-sex marriage. (Is it just me, or does the phrase “same-sex marriage suits” conjure up images of two matching white silk numbers with nice lapels?)
In more immediate good news from the Empire State, Mayor Bloomberg has convinced four health insurance companies to offer domestic partner health insurance coverage to small businesses in New York City. Previously, businesses with fewer than fifty employees could not provide domestic partner health coverage even if they wanted to. This does not mean that small businesses must offer such coverage, only that they can. There is, however, a measure before the state legislature that would require all insurers providing family health insurance coverage to offer domestic partner coverage.
Finally, proving that politics is always complicated, the Empire State Pride Agenda, the state’s leading LGBT-rights group, has endorsed Fernando Ferrer in the upcoming mayoral election, saying Mayor Bloomberg falls short in support of a number of other LGBT issues, including same-sex marriage.