New York Lieutentant Governor David Paterson, who would become governor if Spitzer resigned, “has typically been ahead of his time on gay issues over the years,” according to The Advocate.

Paterson has been on record in support of marriage equality as early as 1994. When Paterson was asked if he would take part in pushing through the marriage bill following his inauguration in January 2007, he told the New York Blade , “I’m not going to be in that fight — I’m going to be in front of that fight because my first day as [senate minority leader] was the day we passed the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act. One of the reasons we need same-sex marriage is because the statistics for heterosexual marriage are so bad; that might be a way to upgrade some of the success rates.”

As far back as 1987, Paterson refused to pass a state hate-crimes bill that didn’t provide protections for gays and lesbians. “He was willing to let everything go down rather than to exclude us,” Sherrill recalled.

Ultimately, LGBT leaders with knowledge of New York’s political landscape suggested that a Spitzer resignation might be work in the community’s favor.

“If Spitzer resigns, it might be a blessing in disguise from an LGBT agenda point of view,” said the anonymous source. “Spitzer would likely be damaged goods whereas Paterson won’t have that baggage.”