New York State Senate Votes Against Gay Marriage Legislation

The New York State Senate, after what was an exhausting emotional debate that referenced civil rights, family, history, and religion, voted against a measure that would have made legal gay marriage in the Empire State. The vote was decisive, surprisingly so, 38-24, the Democrats who hold a one seat majority, unable to secure enough votes to pass the bill. Not one of the thirty Republicans voted in favor of the bill. Eight Democrats voted against the bill. The right for same sex couples to wed must now wait for at least another year. The loss comes at a critical moment for gay rights in America, with continual voter referendums in California and in Maine repealing gay marriage legislation. New York State, unlike those two states, does not have a referendum process that affords voters the right to overturn an act of the Legislature, so a victory for equality in the Empire State would be profound, with great resonance throughout the United States. Afterward, Governor David A. Paterson said “There have been historic losses in civil rights movement … but they are preludes to victory.”