N.Y. Marriage Watch

Just after noon on Wednesday, debate began on the marriage equality bill in the New York state senate. Tune in to the ongoing debate below, which is expected to continue for the next four hours. Then, each of the 62 senators will have an opportunity to explain their position on the bill for two minutes before the vote.

State senator Ruben Diaz, Sr, the most outspoken opponent of the bill, took the floor early. The Pentecostal minister and Bronx Democrat called the marriage equality bill "treason," and argued that marriage equality should be decided in a public referendum.

Senator Eric Schneiderman of Manhattan took the floor next, followed by Eric Adams, a Democrat and African American from Brooklyn. He compared the struggle for marriage equality to the debate over allowing interracial couples to marry, and the immigrant experience in America.

The senate returned to special session late Wednesday morning and passed the bipartisan deficit reduction plan, clearing the way for a long awaited vote on the marriage equality bill.

Passage of the nearly $3 billion budget measure, a point of contention since the special session called by Governor David Paterson began on November 10, was widely considered to be a prerequisite for bringing the marriage equality bill to the floor.

Shortly before noon, the senate's Twitter account announced passage of the deficit reduction plan, and indicated that the marriage equality bill was on the agenda for Wednesday. The marriage bill also passed the senate's rules committee on Wednesday.

Full text of the marriage equality bill is available here.

Late Tuesday, the assembly passed the marriage equality bill, for the third time since 2007, by a vote of 88-51, to meet a requirement that both chambers pass the bill in the same session. The legislature is currently in an extraordinary session called by governor David Paterson to address unresolved business, including the marriage equality bill.

Observers in Albany, the state capital, interpreted the action in the assembly as a positive sign that a vote would take place in the senate in the very near future.

"There's a lot of buzz up here," said Cathy Marino-Thomas, president of the board of Marriage Equality New York, who was awaiting the session to begin on Wednesday morning, with the budget scheduled as the first order of business. "We're expecting them to move right into our bill after that," she said.

Whether the bill will pass the narrowly divided senate, where Democrats hold a slim 32-30 majority, remains an open question. but many insiders struck a hopeful tone.

On Tuesday, a gay activist and Democratic insider told Advocate.com that the bill had an "excellent chance" of passing. Another anonymous source insisted, "The votes are there."

A spokesman for New York state senator Tom Duane, the lead sponsor of the bill, declined to comment on the exact timing of the vote and its outcome. Duane, who is openly gay, has long maintained that the bill will pass with bipartisan support.

New York City Council speaker Christine Speaker, who headed to Albany to lobby lawmakers, told NBC's New York Nonstop on Tuesday that she believed the vote, when it occurs, would be "close," but that she remained "optimistic" it would pass with bipartisan support.

As Quinn and other advocates rushed toward the state capital late on Tuesday, the senate, true to its unpredictable nature, quashed high expectations for a marriage equality vote that night. announcing via Twitter that it would adjourn until the morning.

Prior to the announcement, senators had been scheduled to reconvene for an extraordinary session at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Now it appears the next likely time for the vote to happen is Wednesday morning or afternoon, after the budget issue is addressed.

Watch the vote when it begins in the New York state senate below. Stay tuned to Advocate.com throughout the day Wednesday for updates.