On Wednesday, December 2nd, the New York State Senate voted on a measure that would make gay marriage legal in New York. After two hours of debate, the measure was voted down, 38 to 24. The bill’s sponsor was Sen. Tom Duane, the only openly gay member of the Senate.
Advocates said that some Republicans who were open to the idea voted no because they were fearful of a conservative backlash. Others referenced the bad economy as a reason for keeping many Republicans who may have been sympathetic to the cause from voting for gay marriage, stating that their primary focus was on the fiscal crisis, and not gay marriage.
All 30 Republicans and eight Democrats voted against the bill. Previously, the bill had been passed three times in the Assembly, but rejected in the Senate. Of those who voted no, only Sen. Ruben Diaz stood up during the debate to explain his vote publicly. On the Senate floor he said, “If you put this issue before the voters, the voters will reject it. Let the people decide.”
Governor Paterson, who had pushed for the vote in the Senate even though the bill’s fate was uncertain, made a rare trip to the Senate floor to support the bill. He even pledged to sign the bill if it was passed. Other Senators stood before the floor and told their stories, including Sen. Ruth Hassel Thompson. Thompson revealed for the first time that she had a gay brother who had been shunned by her family and forced to live overseas, while her minister sister was opposed to gay marriage. Others took the floor to tell stories of friends and relatives who were gay and had been unable to marry. 
Gay marriage opponents were shocked and pleased by not only the win for upholding the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman but for winning with a larger-than-expected margin. The bill needed 32 votes to pass, but instead failed by eight votes. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms stated, “Today was a good day for marriage in New York.”
After the vote, Paterson said Wednesday was one of his saddest days in his 20 years of public service. Senator and sponsor of the bill, Thomas Duane, expressed his anger and disappointment, stating “I wasn’t expecting betrayal.” Some supporters of the bill saw the whole event in a more positive light. Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire Pride Agenda, and a leading proponent of the bill stated, “We certainly know who are friends. We certainly go to bed tonight knowing more about where our support is, and that’s a victory.”
Following the vote, protests were held across the state, including one in New York City that night, and one in Albany at the capital the following Thursday. Around 150 people showed up to protest the Senate vote, holding signs and chanting late into the night.
New York is now one of 31 states that has shot down a gay marriage bill, with gay marriage being legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts and Vermont. A New Hampshire law takes effect Jan. 1.
