Opponents of the directive, who feel a particular sense of urgency, are developing long-term strategies to portray gay marriage as a threat to their religious freedom and to keep control of the state Senate in Republican hands.
On Thursday, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, an evangelical lobbying group, drew 250 ministers to the Capitol in Albany to promise a relentless fight against Paterson's directive.
"Quite a few pastors came up to me and said, 'When are you scheduling another one?' " said the Rev. Duane Motley, founder and head of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. "We're trying to put pressure directly on the governor. If there is a large outcry, a groundswell of public opinion, he might back down. He seems to be letting his staff run his office."
Late last month, it was disclosed that Paterson directed state agencies to recognize gay marriages performed in other states. Same-sex marriage is not legal in New York, but Paterson's decision was based on a February court ruling that a gay couple in Monroe County had the right to equal benefits from a state college.
Paterson's decision also came two weeks after the California Supreme Court overturned that state's ban on same-sex marriage.
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