New: NY Senator Tally on Marriage Equality and Vote Deal Insight

New York local station NY1 has posted a new tally of senators with regard to the marriage equality bill.

"Of 62 senators, 21 are supportive. The remaining 41 are opposed, wouldn't say, or couldn't be reached Wednesday, a state holiday. Proponents admit some of the 30 Republicans will be needed. A spokesman for the GOP conference says none are publicly supportive. Opponents like New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms Executive Director Jason McGuire say they have reason to be concerned at the polls, referencing a socially moderate Republican pushed out by a conservative in a recent congressional contest upstate. "No senator wants to be the next Dede Scozzafava and lose their seat because of the issue of marriage," McGuire said. On the other side, there's political heft for supporters facing a tough vote. Generous campaign contributions from gay rights supporters helped return Democrats to senate power for the first time in more than four decades."

Here's the full breakdown.

Paul Schindler at Gay City News has an excellent inside piece up regarding the negotiations on Tuesday which led to an agreement that a vote would be made on marriage equality before the end of the year:

"The commitment brokered did not come easy. According to several sources with direct knowledge of the discussions, for much of the day the leadership held out for its status quo position — that a vote would come only when success was assured, whatever that means precisely. In addition to the accountability issue, that made it likely the bill’s consideration would spill over into 2010, an election year for governor and the Legislature, the wrong time for taking action on controversial issues. Bitterness and some measure of distrust among the parties also proved a problem. Both Sampson and Klein did not mince words in letting Van Capelle know they were upset by remarks he made at ESPA’s October 22 fall dinner in Manhattan. Voicing frustration at what he characterized as allies unwilling to walk the walk after the LGBT community’s strong financial support for electing a Senate Democratic majority last year, Van Capelle had warned that if no vote happened on marriage equality, 'We can find other friends who will do that job for us and do it faster. We know such friends exist.'"

NY Senate Promises Marriage Equality Debate and Vote in '09

Some good news did come out of Albany yesterday:

"An agreement was reached to bring the marriage equality legislation for a vote before the end of the year and we will commit the full spectrum of our energies to making marriage equality a reality in the state of New York," said Austin Shafran, spokesman for the Senate Majority Conference.

Gay City News reports:

"Flanked by four members of the State Senate Democratic majority and the leader of New York's LGBT lobby, Governor David A. Paterson announced an agreement by which the Senate leadership has, for the first time, agreed to debate and vote on a marriage equality bill before the end of 2009. 'This is the first time that the Senate leadership has indicated that it will support a vote on marriage equality,' the governor said. 'This is a stunning and very happy development in this process. I will continue to place marriage equality on any special sessions that I call on Monday and Tuesday because I feel that the bill should be debated immediately. However, I have profound respect for the leadership of the Senate and the process that they took to bring us to this vote.' Paterson was joined by the Senate's deputy majority leader, Jeffrey Klein, who represents portions of the Bronx and Weschester, Brooklyn Senator Eric Adams, Manhattan Senator Eric Schneiderman, and Thomas K. Duane, the out gay Chelsea senator who is the lead sponsor of the marriage equality bill. Alan Van Capelle, the executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, was also on hand."

Previously...
New York Marriage Equality: The Latest [tr]
Update from Albany on the New York Marriage Equality Vote [tr]

On Deck, New York Marriage Equality Bill's Fate in Albany Uncertain

The NYT's take on marriage equality's chances this week: unclear.

"Advocates on both sides of the issue lobbied senators over the weekend, but it was still unclear on Sunday whether the measure could attract the 32 votes needed in the State Senate for approval. (The Assembly has already passed the bill.) Only three state legislatures nationwide have voted, without the intervention of the courts, to approve same- sex marriage. In New York, Democrats hold a shaky 32-to-30 majority in the Senate, and some senators oppose allowing the legislation to come to the floor for a vote. Those who favor the bill say they realize they are risking another significant defeat but are determined to get legislators on record on the issue. They also say that now may be the best time to push lawmakers to take up the bill, given that next year all 212 members of the Legislature will face re-election. Estimates vary, but supporters of the bill believe they can count on about 25 votes for the legislation at this time."

Michelangelo Signorile makes an interesting point with regard to the recent NY-23 election: "I was actually wondering how the Dede Scozzafava debacle would play out and I did think in fact it would scare Republicans in the Senate on marriage for gays. The Republican Party in New York has known for some time that state Republicans will be dinosaurs soon, as all the surrounding states have marriage equality and the Northeast Republican is heading for extinction and needs to make changes. However, those with sites on national office, certainly saw what happened to Scozzafava and took notice. If the local party is, perhaps, ready for the change, the national party is light years away."

We spoke with David Paterson over the weekend on the issue. He'd like to know where everyone stands.

Exclusive: Governor David Paterson Discusses Marriage Equality Bill, Maine Ballot Measure, Accomplishments and Campaign

New York Governor David Paterson has scheduled a special session of the state Senate for this Tuesday, November 10. Paterson has placed a marriage equality bill on the session's agenda.

Yesterday, Corey Johnson and I sat down with Paterson for an exclusive interview with Paterson in his office in Harlem to discuss that bill and ask him whether or not he believes action will actually take place on Tuesday, and what conversations he's had with Senate leadership that indicate it might be acted upon. We also ask him if he thinks Obama needs to take a stronger position on issues important to the gay and lesbian community like the ballot measure in Maine.

Watch the interview, AFTER THE JUMP...

Says Paterson of the marriage equality bill: "People who've lived together for 10, 20, 30 years are waiting, hoping that this legislation will pass while they still have the breath to elicit an 'I do' on the altar, and I think it's time that it happens, and if I have to see legislation fail so I can identify who voted against it to better persuade them, then I'll take that chance."

Of the bill's fate should Senators vote on it, Paterson says: "In this case, I have a feeling if it got on the floor it would be voted up."

Paterson also says people should see opportunity in defeats like the ballot measure in Maine: "I think there's this feeling that if legislation fails that it's this colossal loss for the cause. I find it to be motivational. I think that the public referendum in Maine should inspire us that there's more work to do, more persuasion to be made, more understanding to be reached, and more sensitivity to be displayed, and those of us who have been a catalyst for marriage equality have to regroup and work harder."

We also ask Paterson about the ads he posted on Friday which signal he's already begun his 2010 campaign for governor.

Watch the interview, AFTER THE JUMP...

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New Yorkers Oppose Anti-Gay Maine Vote, Look Ahead to NY

New Yorkers held a rally in Union Square last night opposing the anti-gay vote in Maine on Tuesday, and looking ahead to next week, when Governor David Paterson has promised to call a special session of the state senate.

Watch OurSceneTV's report on the rally, AFTER THE JUMP...

According to Gay City News, both Empire State Pride Agenda executive director Alan van Capelle and State Senator Tom Duane are still confident about a vote on marriage equality:

"Alan Van Capelle, the executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA), the state’s LGBT lobby group, and out gay Chelsea Democratic Senator Thomas K. Duane, the measure’s lead sponsor, both reiterated their confidence in the wake of an election in which a Republican marriage equality supporter was forced from an upstate congressional race and voters in Maine narrowly opted to repeal the gay marriage law there. 'Based on my conversations with senators, they are planning on being in Albany next week,' said Van Capelle. 'That said, the governor is still required to issue an extraordinary session calendar. Our community should rest assured we have full commitment from the governor that the marriage equality bill will be on the very first calendar.' ... In a statement issued late in the day on November 4, Duane said, 'I have so much confidence that New York will soon be the next state to enact marriage equality. I strongly believe that my colleagues from both sides of the aisle will step up and do the right thing.' Since the spring, Duane has consistently said he has the votes –– among them, as yet unnamed Republicans –– to ensure passage of the marriage bill."

More at Gay City News on the impact of Maine and the NY 23rd  district Congressional race.

Watch OurSceneTV's report on the NYC rally, AFTER THE JUMP...