On May 12, the New York State Assembly passed legislation permitting same-sex marriage in the state.  This vote comes on the heels of recent marriage equality victories in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Now, the bill (S. 4401) is in the New York State Senate. The State Senate has 62 Senators, with 32 votes needed for a majority. Currently, 19 Senators are sponsors of the bill, and Majority Leader Smith (D) has indicated that he is also a supporter. Which means we need 12 more votes to achieve marriage equality.

18 State Senators are currently undecided or haven’t declared their position, including eight Democrats.  The Republican leadership has also told its members in the Senate that they should feel free to vote their conscience, rather than tow the party line.

It’s an uphill battle, but we have a real chance. The Senate will likely go into recess for the rest of the year around June 22. So, now is the time!

ACT NOW will be working with Human Rights Campaign to phone bank constituents in undecided districts to ask them to contact their State Senator and make their opinion known.

Date: Phone banks are temporarily on hold while we wait for state senate sessions to (hopefully) resume.

Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Location: 111 West 40th St. (btw 6th Ave/Broadway) - 5th Floor. To gain access to the building your name must be on a security list. So please RSVP in advance and do not just show up.

Note: Ten cell phones with free minutes will be provided. If you prefer, you can use your own.

Please be sure to tell us in the comments section which date(s) you would like to phone bank.

Helpful Information:
http://assembly.state.ny.us/Press/20090512a/
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/whip-count-gay-marraige-faces-uphill.html