NYS Senate Leader-elect Espada: 'Not happy' that same-sex marriage bill might be shelved

The latest -

From Elizabeth Benjamin's blog at the NY Daily News:

NYS Senator-elect Hiram Monserrate, who abandoned the then-'Gang of Four' before the 'Gang of Three' emerged with a deal might be one of the biggest losers in the way that things have played out so far.

Rumors that a New York State same-sex marriage bill might be put on hold as a result of the deal-making seem to be true.

Openly gay State Senator Thomas K. Duane says that he will support Malcom Smith as the State Senate Democratic leader (his official title would be president pro tempore) even if the marriage bill is held off as a result of the Gang of Three deal.

Also, after a behind-the-doors meeting that took place this morning in Albany in which Smith allegedly spelled out details of the deal, senate leaders emerged saying that they were "united" behind Smith. There are still wildly conflicting reports as to what was promised and what was not set in stone.

In the meantime Gay City News has this: "Advocates Thread Carefully Responding to NYS Senate Ledareship Deal."

From that article, an exclusive quote from Alan Van Capelle, Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda:

Not one single senator has told me that as part of the deal that was reached there was an agreement to delay the timing for marriage.... Malcolm Smith has earned the opportunity for our community to give him a chance to explain what the deal is. I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. But I am not going to waste one minute - I will continue to be talking to senators in their districts and in Albany about this issue.

Espada says he is not happy about chances that a same-sex marriage bill might be shelved: Finally, as I've been saying, the man who would be Senate Leader has, in the past, not shown homophobic proclivities.

In a New York 1 report posted today, Pedro Espada talks about being poised to become the first Hispanic State Senate Democratic leader and says this about the same-sex marriage bill:

I am not happy about it. And I don't expect the advocates who are in favor of same sex marriage to be happy, nor should they be.

So all of a sudden the Gang of Three doesn't seem as monolithic on the same-sex marriage issue. Perhaps there is light in the midst of all the wheeling and dealing.