The New York state senate Wednesday down a marriage equality bill by a wide margin, following months of delay and protracted political drama.
In a special legislative session the senate voted 38 to 24 against the bill, supported by New York governor David Paterson, after emotional pleas by senate supporters during an afternoon debate. A state assembly marriage bill had passed for a third time late last night.
New York would have become the sixth state to have legalized marriage for same-sex couples. In May, Maine governor John Baldacci signed into law a marriage equality bill that was later repealed by voters through Question 1, which passed last month.
In a statement issued directly after the vote, New York City council Speaker Christine Quinn said, “Today the New York state senate rejected an opportunity to declare that all citizens in New York are equal. The depth of sadness that I and many New Yorkers feel today is difficult to express. This is a loss for every family in New York. This is a loss for every lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender New Yorker."
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