Gay-marriage debate moves westward

The same-sex marriage debate crossed the border to our neighbors in New York this week, where the state Assembly approved a bill allowing gay couples to marry in the Empire State.

But New York is unlikely to pre-empt Massachusetts' only-in-the-nation status anytime soon. Republicans in the New York Senate have vowed the bill will go no further this year.

The Massachusetts Legislature last week preserved gay marriage here for years to come, by killing a proposed constitutional ban.