UPDATE; MARRIAGE EQUALITY PASSES, 33-29.

If you've been following the news you know that the big question on marriage equality in New York is whether the Republican conference in the Senate will allow the bill to come to the floor.

They decided earlier this evening to allow the bill to be taken up, and it is now being debated, and the Republican leadership is showing signs that they don't have the votes to block it.

“After many hours of deliberation and discussion over the past several weeks among the members, it has been decided that same-sex marriage legislation will be brought to the full Senate for an up or down vote,” the majority leader, Senator Dean G. Skelos of Long Island, said in a statement. “As I have said many times, this is a very difficult issue and it will be a vote of conscience for every member of the Senate.” 

 In case you're wondering, “It will be a vote of conscience” means the leadership doesn't think they can hold the caucus together.

Here's the live stream from the floor of the Senate. You can check back here for the results. They're voting now, with each senator giving a speech explaining his vote.