VOA标准英语2011--New York State Approves Same-Sex Marriag

New York State Approves Same-Sex Marriage

New York has legalized same sex marriage, making it the sixth U.S state to do so. Gay rights advocates call the vote a major victory in their quest for equality.
The New York State Senate approved the legislation Friday night by a vote of 33 to 29, as four Republican lawmakers crossed party lines and voted in favor of the bill. Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had pushed for the bill, quickly signed the legislation into law meaning, pending¹ court challenges, same sex couples can begin legally marrying in New York in 30 days.
"New York made a powerful statement, not just for the people of New York, but [also for] the people all across this nation. We reached a new level of social justice this evening," Cuomo said.
New York could become a destination for same sex couples wanting to legally marry because the state has no residency requirement for obtaining a marriage license².
Gay rights advocates filled the statehouse in Albany Friday night to celebrate the historic legislation, with many couples saying they were already planning their weddings. New York, with a population of almost 20 million people, is by far the largest U.S. state to approve same-sex marriage and a major gay pride parade is scheduled for New York City on Sunday.
In Manhattan, gay rights advocates gathered at bars and restaurants to watch the vote and celebrate its passage. Jason Carson said now gay couples will have the same choices and protections afforded straight couples.
"Now, anybody who wants to get married in the state can," said Carson. "It was always a civil rights issue and now the choice is theirs."
This was not the first time gay marriage had come up for a vote in New York. Last year the measure passed the Assembly, but failed to move through the Senate. This year, Republicans in both chambers³ pushed for more legal protections for religious groups that object to gay marriage or do not wish to perform the ceremony.
Opponents of the measure had also spent the last week in Albany trying to persuade lawmakers to abandon the bill. New York's Archbishop Timothy Dolan derided⁴ the measure saying it sought to redefine the definition of marriage, which he says is solely⁵ the union between a man and woman.
One lawmaker who voted against the measure, Senator Ruben Diaz, told the Senate he could not change his stance on what he believes is the definition of a marital⁶ union.
"God, not man, has set the definition of marriage a long time ago," said Diaz.
Advocates say the new law is also historic because more conservative Republican lawmakers were able to move across party lines and strike an agreement with Democrats⁷ on a major piece of legislation.

1 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

2 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

3 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

4 derided   

v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His views were derided as old-fashioned. 他的观点被当作旧思想受到嘲弄。
• Gazing up to the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity. 我抬头疑视着黑暗，感到自己是一个被虚荣心驱使和拨弄的可怜虫。 来自辞典例句

5 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

6 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。

7 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》