Gay rights supporters have secured legal marriage status for same-sex couples in Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa and the District of Columbia, and are hoping a gain in New York will give them greater momentum.
By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — After New York's Senate ended its session for the "health of members" following the latest marathon session on Thursday, the Republican majority plans to again take up a gay marriage bill that could be pivotal moment in the national gay rights movement.
Negotiations have dragged on for two weeks over what could be a pivotal moment in the national gay rights movement.
Gay rights supporters have secured legal marriage status for same-sex couples in Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa and the District of Columbia, and are hoping a gain in New York will give them greater momentum.
On Thursday, Senate leader Dean Skelos abruptly ended the session just before 11 p.m. as his members were awaiting the printing of bills not expected until after 4 a.m.
When lawmakers return Friday they still face several other major bills ranging from a public college tuition increase to a landmark tax cap before they can consider making New York the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Democrats weren't happy with the pace.
"This isn't stalling, it's a complete work stoppage by the Senate Republicans," said Austin Shafran, spokesman for the Democratic minority that supports gay marriage.
The bill has passed in the Assembly but several amendments have been proposed since then to better protect religious groups from discrimination lawsuits and to entice Republican senators to send the bill to the full Senate for a vote.
In the Capitol building, supporters and opponents have peacefully coexisted with occasional outbursts since last week, singing hymns like "This Little Light of Mine," or "Amazing Grace."
"The tension is always high because you have people yelling at you back and forth," Tonja Alvis, a gay marriage supporter from Albany, said Thursday. "It's like a rally at a football game."
The two opposing groups, kept segregated by state troopers, largely stayed on opposite sides of the hallways.
Sen. Kevin Parker, a Brooklyn Democrat, called the Republicans' handling of gay marriage "amateurish," but forgivable if same-sex marriage is eventually passed.
"As long as we get married, we'll be OK with the fumbling on the first date," Parker said.
There was no immediate comment from the Republican majority, which has been furiously negotiating major bills with Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Assembly's Democratic majority.
The gay marriage bill has passed in the Assembly, but several amendments have been proposed since then to better protect religious groups from discrimination lawsuits and to entice Republican senators to send the bill to the full Senate for a vote.
Of those places where gay marriage is legal, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., are the only ones that don't allow at least limited religious exemptions.
Skelos, who opposes gay marriage, has said his Republican caucus will have to meet behind closed doors to decide whether to move the bill to the floor or kill it.