Wednesday, December 2, 2009

New York State Senate Votes Down Gay Marriage Bill

clipped from www.nytimes.com


Senator Thomas K. Duane, the sponsor of same-sex marriage legislation, embraced Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson after she announced her support for the bill during the debate on the senate floor on Wednesday in Albany.

ALBANY — The State Senate defeated a bill on Wednesday that would legalize same-sex marriage, after an emotional debate that touched on civil rights, family and history. The vote means that the bill, pushed by Gov. David A. Paterson, is effectively dead for the year and dashes the optimism of gay rights advocates, who have suffered setbacks recently in several key states.

The bill was defeated by a decisive margin of 38 to 24. The Democrats, who have a bare, one-seat majority, did not have enough votes to pass the bill without some Republican support, but not a single Republican senator voted for the measure.
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