HARRISBURG, Pa., May 28 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania state senator is pushing legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in the Keystone State.
Sen. Daylin Leach, a Democrat, said it is time for Pennsylvania to join the growing number of states that have legalized same-sex unions, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Thursday.
"In the past few weeks, several states have legalized same-sex marriage, and many will soon follow suit," Leach said. "There has never been a more propitious time for Pennsylvania to embrace equality and enshrine the civil right of all Pennsylvanians to marry."
American Civil Liberties Union lobbyist Andy Hoover called the bill historic.
"Senator Leach recognizes the direction we are heading in this country -- that the lesbian and gay community will ultimately have marriage equality. It's not a question of 'if' but 'when,'" Hoover said.
But Mr. Leach is one of the more liberal members of the Legislature.
Leach's bill to legalize gay marriage comes as state Republican Sen. John Eichelberger seeks to strengthen Pennsylvania's current law defining marriage as only between one man and one woman.
