This afternoon Governor Paterson announced that he would be calling for a second extraordinary session for the New York State Senate tomorrow, Wednesday, June 24. The marriage bill is listed at the top of the Governor's list of bills to be considered during the session.

Moments ago, we released the following statement calling on the State Senate to vote on and pass the marriage bill tomorrow:

“This weekend marks the 40^th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn demonstration in New York City, a pivotal event in the LGBT rights movement. Tomorrow, the New York State Senate has the opportunity to show that we have indeed made progress over the last four decades.

 

Governor Paterson has put the marriage bill on the agenda for tomorrow’s extraordinary session. Senators will now have before them a bill (S.4401) authorizing same-sex couples to marry in New York State.

 

The New York State Senate now has the chance to do what the Assembly has done twice, and what a majority of New Yorkers support and that is to vote to allow same-sex couples access to marriage and the 1324 rights and protections that come with a New York State civil marriage license.

 

As we have seen from the growing level of support on this issue, this is not a partisan matter. It is a matter of equal treatment under the law. 

 

We urge the New York State Senate to vote on and pass this crucially important human rights bill tomorrow. LGBT New Yorkers expect and deserve such a vote. New York State, with a proud progressive tradition, should not continue a situation in which some of its citizens are deprived of their rights.

 

When more than a million LGBT people and their friends and families gather in New York City this weekend to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the birth of the modern LGBT rights movement, we hope that there will be another pivotal event—marriage equality—for them to celebrate.”

Stay tuned for further updates.