Poll: 53% of
people in New York State support same-sex marriage

A new poll released Monday shows that 53% of people in New York State support marriage rights for gay people, up from 47% two years ago. The poll also showed that support for legally recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages climbed to 57% from 52% in 2004. The study, conducted by the Global Strategy Group in March for statewide gay rights group Empire State Pride Agenda, is in line with recent ones around the country showing rising support for LGBT families, such as the Field Poll in California earlier this year that showed a majority of the state's residents are in favor of marriage equality. "A growing majority of New Yorkers support ending discrimination in marriage," Alan Van Capelle, executive director of Empire State Pride Agenda, said in a statement. "There is a clear trend of support moving in our direction, and we are very encouraged by these findings." The poll also showed that there would be little political damage to a politician who voted to grant marriage equality, with 42% of respondents saying that such a stance would make no difference to them, and 26% saying they were more inclined to support the official. "Many of our elected officials have stated their support for our right to marry," said Van Capelle, whose internal memo criticizing New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's lack of support for marriage equality was recently leaked. "They're standing with us, and for that we are grateful. We hope others who are still thinking about this issue will decide it's time to join us." The poll sampled 658 likely New York State voters and has a margin of error of 3.8%. (The Advocate)