Supporters of marriage equality hold a candlelit vigil in Union Square. (Serena Solomon/DNAinfo)
By Heather Grossmann and Serena Solomon
DNAinfo Reporter/Producers
UNION SQUARE — Kiki Herold of the Upper West Side came to a candlelight vigil here Monday night with her partner, Beth Greenfield, and 1-year-old daughter, Lula.
The couple were optimistic that the show of unity would in some way inspire lawmakers to pass a same-sex marriage bill in Albany.
"I'm hopeful," Herold said. "But skeptical."
Gov. David Paterson has put the bill on the agenda for an extraordinary state Senate session Tuesday. While people at the rally, including local politicians and activists were dubious about Albany's commitment to gay rights, they were sure of one thing: the time for the bill to come up for a vote in the legislature was now.
“Of course, a victory is optimal and would be best, but overall, the vote actually happening is most important,” said Ron Zacchi, the executive director of Marriage Equality New York, the advocacy group that organized the event.
Jill Hill, left, and her partner Maria Scharron. ()
“It’s a vigil that is a symbolic way of lighting the way to equality. We want to light a clear path for the Senate in their vote tomorrow.”
The Assembly has already passed a same-sex bill and Gov. David Paterson has said he would likely sign it, provided it passes the Senate.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who is the first gay person to lead City Council, told the crowd that "positive things were happening in Albany." Just hours earlier, at a City Hall press conference, Quinn fought back tears as she pleaded with the Senate to pass the bill.
“This is literally a moment where people can stand up and say that everybody’s family matters," Quinn said, "that everybody’s home is a blessed place, and that everybody has the same rights."
She challenged members of the state Senate who didn't feel that she was entitled to the same rights as everyone else to have the courage to say that to her face.
“[The bill] creates hope," Quinn said. "It creates moments where New Yorkers like me start thinking about where we would hold the wedding, what the dress would look like.”
Gay couples in New York will have to wait longer to get the right to marry. File photo of Gay Pride Parade, West Village, June 28, 2009 (Heather Grossmann/DNAinfo)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also backed the bill, sending a memo to all Senators urging them to bring the bill to a vote and to vote "yes."
But State Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., a minister who is against same-sex marriage and says he has his church followers behind him, is making threats to fellow Democrats who try to bring the bill to the floor.
His fellow Bronx pol state Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. indicated he will try and hitch a farm worker’s rights bill to the legislation in order to stop it passing.
At the vigil, TimAnthony Serrano, an actor from Hell's Kitchen, wanted equal rights so he could marry his Swedish boyfriend and no longer worry about immigration issues.
"It's a civil right," Serrano said. "I am being told I must pay taxes like any other citizen, but I don't have the rights of any other citizen."
