NEW YORK: Donations Flood In For Pro-Gay State Senate Republicans

While NOM erects sinister "You're Next" billboards, big money is flowing into the campaigns of the four GOP New York state senators who voted to legalize same-sex marriage.

As the State Legislature this year debated the legalization of same-sex marriage, a group of wealthy financiers who support both gay rights and Republican causes offered a reassurance to Republican lawmakers: Stand with us now, and we will stand with you later. This week, the four Republican state senators who provided the decisive votes to pass the marriage bill are to get a big financial boost from those donors, including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. A fund-raiser planned for Thursday night in Manhattan is expected to raise about $1.25 million to help finance their re-election bids next year.

A spokesman for NOM dismissed the financial support for the four senators, adding, "The people of New York will not forget what these senators did."