MARRIAGE VOTE LOOMS LARGE OVER NYS CAPITOL; GOP SENATE STILL MUM

ACTIVSTS LOBBY LAWMAKERS
Marriage Equality advocates and their
detractors are filling the halls of the
people's house to voice their opinion.
photo:  Ove Overmyer

Rochester, N.Y.-- One vote stands in the way of New York state becoming the sixth and most populous state to pass gay marriage legislation. The Senate just went back into session around 3:30 pm, and have furiously been passing a multitude of noncontroversial bills. You can follow the proceedings here, courtesy of WNYMedia.net.

And sources close to the Voice Reporter say that the vote for marriage might come as late as Thursday, or not at all if opponents get their way. That does not preclude Governor Cuomo from extending this session or calling a special session to get the people's business done later on this summer.  If that happens, the Assembly would have to approve a new marriage bill for the fifth time.

After the marriage bill passed the State Assembly last week in an 80-63 vote, state senators are scrambling to garner enough support to pass the bill once and for all. Now, either Staten Island Republican Andrew Lanza and Poughkeepsie lawmaker Stephen Saland could provide the deciding votes. Should Lanza vote in favor, the New York state senate could pass the bill by the time the legislative session closes at 11:59 p.m. this evening.

Although the Senate has not yet scheduled a vote, state legislators worked through the weekend in anticipation of one very soon, soliciting opinions from constituents over Twitter and fielding as many as 70 phone calls an hour. Reports from the behind-closed-doors negotiations in Albany sound promising for the gay rights activists supporting the bill.

CSEA, along with almost every major labor union in New York state, have built an unprecedented coalition of marriage equality supporters.

Supporters and opponents make last ditch efforts

Supporters and opponents of gay marriage made 11th-hour appeals yesterday and today as state lawmakers were beseeched by throngs of activists inside and out of the state capitol building.

New York's Archbishop, Timothy Dolan, reiterated his and the Catholic Church's opposition to gay marriage on Sunday, vowing to oppose "any radical bill to redefine the very essence of marriage."

"One has to wonder why the proponents of this radical redefinition, who claim overwhelming popular support, would not consider" a referendum "on such a drastic departure from traditional values?" he wrote on his blog.

Dolan wrote that the "government presumes to redefine" such sacred words as father, mother, husband and wife "at the peril of the common good."

In Albany, Senate Majority Leader Republican Dean Skelos has said the bill as written has prompted concerns over its religious clauses and exemptions.

Despite the claims of some opponents, the bill does not compel any member of the clergy to conduct same-sex marriages, but some Republican lawmakers are concerned the legal protection is not strong enough. Skelos said Cuomo has indicated he was open to including more specific exemptions for religious groups, but a change in the language of the bill is unlikely.

The governor has lobbied for passage and said he remains cautiously optimistic the bill will come to a vote and pass.

Hundreds of Rochester marriage advocates rallied on Sunday

Meanwhile gay marriage advocates, including many long time activists in the Rochester and Finger Lakes area, rallied on Sunday afternoon.

Rochester resident Todd Plank speaks
to marriage equality supporters at a
rally on the steps of the Monroe
County Office Building on Sept. 26, 2010.
photo:  Ove Overmyer

"Our demand today is simple: bring the Marriage Equality Bill to a vote on Monday," said Todd Plank, a spokesperson for Equality Rochester.  Speaking to hundreds of worshippers and advocates at a faith rally at the downtown First Universalist Church on South Clinton Ave, he added, “We’re waiting for the Senate to just get it to the floor and just pass this bill.”

Marriage supporters also held a "Last Day of Marriage Inequality" rally in Manhattan's Union Square, where supporters carried signs that read "'I do'" support marriage equality" and "Be a leader: introduce the bill." Many faith organizations and the New Yorkers United for Marriage also held over 30 rallies around the Empire State.

Just hours to go-- maybe

With just hours to go in this legislative session, the stakes are especially high.  New York would become the most populous U.S. state to allow gay marriage approved by lawmakers, spelling a huge civil rights victory for LGBT advocates.  It would be a tremendous blow to ultra-conservative groups, like the Mormon and Catholic churches, as well as the very anti-gay National Organization for Marriage.

The state-by-state battle over gay marriage is now becoming a contentious battle across the nation just as the 2012 presidential and congressional elections heat up.

Five states-- Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont-- and the District of Columbia allow gay marriage, while four states have civil unions. Gay marriage is specifically banned in 39 states.