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FINALLY: NY State Senate Passes Gay Marriage

2006_gaycapitol.jpg
Gay marriage supporters in the state Capitol today (AP).

Two years after the New York State Senate strongly rejected gay marriage it finally came to a vote again tonight. This time, the State Senate voted to legalize same-sex marriage by a margin of 33 to 29. The religious amendments to the bill passed in the Assembly by 82-47 earlier in the evening; now the bill just needs Governor Cuomo's signature to become law.

As the vote began there was some confusion when State Senator Tom Duane started to defend the bill he sponsored—saying "What this bill will do is say that we are family in a way that no other word can. And that word is marriage."—before he was replaced by Senator Stephen Saland who instead defended the bill's amendment, which he worked on. As he spoke about the bill and its inseverability clause it became increasingly clear that he would be the much rumored 32nd vote in favor of marriage equality in New York State.

"I, like many people, have struggled over this issue. It has been a difficult issue to deal with," he said. He then spoke of the thousands and thousands of his constituents who had contacted him and said, "They all asked me to do the right thing. Needless to say my decision on this bill is going to disappoint a significant number of people. I have to define doing the right thing as treating all persons with equality. And that equality includes the definition of marriage."

The religious exceptions amendment passed 36-26.

Only four Senators actually spoke before the vote, getting to a lively start when a grandstanding Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., got into a tiff over time limits with Lt. Governor Robert Duffy. Once he was done, Tom Duane got up to speak again in favor of the bill and showed that going too long was not unique to either side of the debate, leading Duffy to cut him off one last time, "I ask you conclude, and I recognize your vote is affirmative."

Republican Senator Mark Grisanti then spoke about his struggle before coming to his decision to vote for the bill. "A man can be wiser today than he was yesterday," he said.

After Grisanti there was a brief, nerve-wracking recess so Duffy could confer with Senate majority leader Dean Skelos and then Carl Kruger spoke to the Senate, reiterating how difficult this vote is and repeating Duane's line that in this vote "there are no villains, there are only heroes."

And then marriage equality was approved by a Senate vote of 33-29. See who voted for it and who voted against it below.

As the vote went down tens of thousands watched it live online and on TV, or in crowds around the state, most notably in the West Village by the Stonewall Inn where the gay rights movement began in the early hours of June 28, 1969.

Marriage equality wasn't the only vote in the State Senate tonight. The-so called "Big Ugly" omnibus bill made it through 57-5 and Mayor Bloomberg's plan to let livery cabs pick up street hails passed as well.

Here's the State Senate's vote, via Capitol Confidential:
Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn) Yes
Joe Addabbo (D-Queens) Yes
Jim Alesi (R-Monroe County) Yes
Tony Avella (D-Queens) Yes
Greg Ball (R-Putnam County) No
John Bonacic (R-Ulster County)
Neil Breslin (D-Bethlehem) Yes
David Carlucci (D-Rockland County) Yes
John DeFrancisco (R-Syracuse) No
Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx) No
Martin Malave Dilan (D-Brooklyn) Yes
Tom Duane (D-Manhattan) Yes
Adriano Espaillat (D-Manhattan) Yes
Hugh Farley (R-Niskayuna) No
John Flanagan (R-Long Island) No
Charles Fuschillo (R-Long Island) No
Patrick Gallivan (R-Erie County) No
Mike Gianaris (D-Queens) Yes
Marty Golden (R-Brooklyn) No
Joe Griffo (R-Rome) No
Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo) Yes
Kemp Hannon (R-Long Island) No
Ruth Hassell-Thompson (D-Mt. Vernon) Yes
Shirley Huntley (D-Queens) Yes
Owen Johnson (R-Long Island) No
Tim Kennedy (D-Buffalo) Yes
Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) Yes
Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) Yes
Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) Yes
Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) No
Bill Larkin (R-Orange County) No
Ken LaValle (R-Long Island) No
Tom Libous (R-Binghamton) No
Betty Little (R-Queensbury) No
Carl Marcellino (R-Long Island) No
Jack Martins (R-Long Island) No
George Maziarz (R-Niagara County) No
Roy McDonald (R-Saratoga) Yes
Velmanette Montgomery (D-Brooklyn) Yes
Mike Nozzolio (R-Finger Lakes) No
Tom O’Mara (R-Elmira) No
Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Westcheser) Yes
Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn) Yes
Jose Peralta (D-Queens) Yes
Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan) Yes
Mike Ranzenhofer (R-Erie County) No
Patti Ritchie (R-North Country) No
Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx) Yes
Joe Robach (R-Monroe County) No
Steve Saland (R-Poughkeepsie) Yes
John Sampson (D-Brooklyn) Yes
Diane Savino (D-Staten Island) Yes
Jose Serrano (D-Bronx) Yes
Jim Seward (R-Central NY) No
Dean Skelos (R-Long Island) No
Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) Yes
Daniel Squadron (D-Manhattan) Yes
Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Queens) Yes
Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Westchester) Yes
David Valesky (D-Syracuse) Yes
Cathy Young (R-Olean) No
Lee Zeldin (R-Long Island) No

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Comments [rss]

  • josephb76

    Like I said, I am happy for those affected by this new law. But I also have the right to question issues and trends without being pigeonholed. You see, that seems to be the way of the world now in our country. You can't have a question about anything. You have to march in step or you're criticized. Well, not here. I'm old enough to have witnessed the Civil Rights movement in 1964, and so I, and many, have lived for over half a century with social struggles. It is only natural for some to simply ask...When and where will it all end? To some, it never will. As for me, I am just wondering...yes, wondering...if it ever will. Again, congratulations to all affected buy this new law.

  • robingee

    So... you like progress but you want it to not go any further? Your point is really really unclear.

  • virgilstarkwell

    so i know the weddings can't happen for like a month, but is the city going to start accepting applications for the licenses starting tomorrow?

  • josephb76

    Ok, great. Congratulations to all that are happy and celebrating. I am happy for you. Now, what's the next issue that you are going to make noise about? Because, the noise is never going to end, is it? It's always something. Clearly, the issue here is that being just like the rest of everyone will never suffice. Now, you can marry, and I am genuinely happy for you. Now, can the rest of us move on and deal with some real problems? I certainly didn't hear all these voices when St. Vincent's hospital was allowed to close in favor of a developer? St. Vincent's had one of the largest HIV patient databases in the country, but where was the noise when Bloomberg allowed it to close? Nowhere. The silence was deafening.
    It just goes to show where priorities are nowadays. As a straight guy, I don't understand it. But feel free to cut the cake nonetheless.

  • robingee

    Yep, "it's always something" - different people in this free country wanting equal rights and laws put into place and policies to change for the betterment of our society. That's called progress. Can't stay in 1955 forever, Beaver Cleaver!

  • Can't we focus on something that really matters, like a very local real estate development deal that I think was unjust?  All this "squeaky wheel" complaining about equal rights is harshing my roll.

  • postercat

    You're right. As a straight guy, you don't understand.

    You might begin to understand--if you tried to give a damn about anyone but yourself, that is.

  • postercat

    You're right. As a straight guy, you don't understand.

  • GregJG

    Defilement and abomination. Just another day on planet earth. 

  • robingee

    Hey, another Asian model/CEO!

  • postercat

    Oh, you mean the trolls? It's true. They can get pretty annoying.

  • Eric Bringslid

    High risk sex is now legal. Someone's gonna be really sorry they picked up the tab for AIDS.

  • FU Boy

    A man impregnating a woman is high-risk sex, if neither parties are aware of the diseases they could by carrying.

  • RadioGagarin

    Since when was "high risk sex," whatever that is, between anybody, not legal?

  • robingee

    Boy, these people are really REALLY running out of things to say! Perhaps they should keep their mouths shut.

  • evbo

    Most New York State uptight Republican crones
    Have primitive worldviews all graven in stone
    Gay marriage, they forbade
    Cuz they all was afraid
    That most likely much more than their minds would get blown.

  • xynthee

    So very, very happy about this!!  A rare victory for decency and morality!!! 

  • Fantastic news. Now it's up to other states to follow our lead.

  • Guest

    wooohooo!

  • pvbklyn

    Divorce lawyers are also cheering this . . . 

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