NY Senate Adjourns: No Marriage Vote

The New York Senate adjourned today's special session without making a vote on marriage equality, putting the issue off indefinitely.

It was unclear when the Senate would take the issue up. Wednesday is Veteran’s Day and a holiday, meaning that it would be at least the end of the week before they could vote on the bill. "It sounds like today is just not going to be the day," said Senator Eric T. Schneiderman, a Democrat from Manhattan who has been one of the same-sex marriage bill’s main proponents. "There are a lot of us who want to see it voted on and passed as soon as possible. So if today’s not the day, I think our views on the overall strategy don’t change."

Gay rights advocates and gay families circulated through the halls of the Capitol on Tuesday in a show of solidarity for the legislation, which the State Assembly has already approved. As Democratic senators entered a closed-door conference on Tuesday morning, lobbyists who have worked all year to win enough votes for the bill waited just outside the doorway to their private conference room and approached senators to remind them that they expected a vote.

“Our community has spent the past few years making the case to 62 state senators for why we should be treated equally by the laws of our state,” said Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda. “The time for making cases is over. We’ve heard dozens of excuses and we’ve been told countless times that we’ll have to wait for equality.” The bill’s sponsor in the Senate, Tom Duane, could not say whether the bill would come to the floor. "I am optimistic," Mr. Duane said, adding that he was continuing to discuss the matter with his colleagues. "I will keep you posted."

As will I.