All eyes are on the state capitol in Albany, as the legislature begins debating the question of whether LGBT New Yorkers deserve equal rights.

Leading the charge is Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell. The Times:

With the Legislature set to take up the bill to legalize same-sex marriage on Tuesday, Mr. O’Donnell, the gay older brother of the comedian Rosie O’Donnell, has emerged as a tenacious, ingratiating, playful and sometimes prickly leader of the effort to pass the legislation.

He has helped gather nearly 90 votes in the 150-member Assembly, which is expected to easily pass the bill. But he is also using the Assembly vote as a way to pressure members of the Senate, where the legislation’s fate will be decided, and demonstrate to wary senators that there is support in their districts for the bill.

Per Liz, the actual number of votes is seventy-nine, plus some perhaps persuadable undercideds. In the 150-Member Assembly, it takes 76 votes to prevail. Governor Paterson has been signaling for weeks that he would sign this bill, of course.

In the Senate, meanwhile, it's unclear that there are the votes to pass the bill, despite the chamber's brand-spanking new Democratic majority. Funny how that works, isn't it?