Supporters Of Same-Sex Marriage Bill Hold Rallies Across NYC

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Supporters of a same-sex marriage bill in New York are rallying ahead of a possible vote on the bill in Albany on Monday.

Lawmakers, community leaders and others gathered Sunday in Union Square for a Father's Day Marriage Equality Rally organized by the New York Latinos United for Marriage Equality.

"Our demand today is simple and reasonable: bring Marriage Equality to a vote on Monday," said Jake Goodman, a founding member of the group Queer Rising, in a statement. "Telling us to wait patiently is insulting and unacceptable."

New York Sen. Adriano Espaillat and Assemblyman Guillermo Linares were among those at the rally.

Supporters of marriage equality said it's not a religious issue, but a moral one – the basic human right to marry the person you love.

"God made people gay, so them being allowed to marry is not only a moral right, but it's a civil right," gay rights activist Jackie Lewis told CBS 2's Derricke Dennis.

A pending vote in the New York State Senate to legalize gay marriage has galvanized both sides of the debate. The senate is said to be just one vote away from passing an historic marriage equality bill.

"Anything can happen in Albany next week, so please keep up the pressure," Sen. Tom Duane said.

Sen. Duane said he's working to sway his fellow lawmakers in Albany. He spoke at one of Sunday's many support rallies as gay couples shared personal stories of being denied marriage.

Gay actor Wilson Cruz, a Brooklyn native, also lent his name to the cause.

"I'm here today to say that I am in all the way with this community," he said.

Passing the marriage equality bill would make New York the sixth, and largest, state in the U.S. where gays can legally marry.