On the September cover of The Advocate, a portrait of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo giving a thumbs-up to his state's recent marriage equality win appears in monochromatic sepia tones, except for the rainbow flag he holds in his other hand. Inside the issue, Julie Bolcer's story "The Cuomo Evolution" colors in the rest of the picture as it documents the events and challenges surrounding the landmark victory that Cuomo spearheaded.
"I was the governor, so I'm sort of the front person, win or lose," Cuomo is quoted as saying. "If it had failed, I would have been getting the blame. The reason it won was this was an unprecedented group effort."
As leader of the charge to see marriage equality for the Empire State, Cuomo held private meetings with Republican legislators to secure the 32 votes needed to win. "Nobody wanted to be 32, because nobody wanted to be the person who, for the Republicans, you could say, 'Not only did you vote for it, but without your vote it wouldn't have passed,' " the governor says.
In the story, Cuomo also talks about how other states can learn from New York's example and what has long motivated him to stand up for gay rights.
To read the full story, click here.
-- JUSTIN JANNISE
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