The big vote on legalizing same-sex marriage in New York could still come in the state senate today — the last scheduled day of the current legislative session — but reports are trickling in that it could be delayed until Wednesday or Thursday, during an extended session.

To help New York pass a bill allowing same-sex marriage, we here at Gawker are throwing a fundraiser/party. It's going to be a big, exciting bash, and now the stakes are higher than ever!

The New York legislature's lower house passed a gay marriage bill 80-63 on Wednesday, the fourth time the State Assembly has done so. The bill must now pass the Senate, where it currently has 31 of 32 votes needed. [NY1]

A federal judge has rejected the argument by supporters of California's gay marriage ban that U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker — who ruled the ban unconstitutional — was biased because he is gay.

New York's state senate is set to vote on a bill legalizing gay marriage this week, the New York Times reports, and if just one more Republican state senator signs on, it will pass. The state assembly has already passed several gay marriage bills, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pledged to sign one, so the senate is its only hurdle. New York would be the largest state to legalize gay marriage.

Three key New York Democrats in the state Senate reportedly said Monday that they will support marriage equality legislation, an important reversal for Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who is pushing to bring the measure up for a vote by the end of the week.

We crack wise about a lot of things here at Gawker, and generally avoid getting all serious and earnest about the political issues of the day. But this month, in honor of Pride Month, we've decided to, earnestly and seriously, throw our support behind something we're truly passionate about: marriage equality. So we're hosting a big fundraiser to support the cause, and we need your help.

The Navy is getting a special reward for shooting Osama Bin Laden: Gay marriage! Navy chaplains will be, officially, allowed to officiate same-sex marriages after Don't Ask Don't Tell ends this summer. The news came in a memo, which also covered the possibility of using base facilities for the events:

Minnesota Representative Steve Simon was testifying yesterday in opposition to a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would outlaw gay marriage. What he had to say was the most simple and genius argument against discriminating against gay people on religious grounds I've ever heard. "How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves if he wants them around?" he asked. There's so little to say to counter that—even for fundamentalist wingnuts. Nice work, Steve Simon! Watch the rest of his rousing yet rational speech and the round of applause his new slogan gets from the gallery.

A CNN poll yesterday showed that 51% percent of Americans believe same-sex marriage "should be recognized by the law as valid," while 47% percent don't. The New York Times' Nate Silver notes that this is the fourth "credible" poll showing majority support for legalized same-sex marriage in the past eight months. Silver also created this chart (the kissing action to its right is our lil' touch, of course) using a regression to show how quickly America reached this majority-support position. Back in, say, 2000, the median citizen would've thought, "Eh, I don't know about those gays gettin' married... too weird." Nowadays that same citizen is like, "Sure why not." This is a remarkable shift in human psychology.

Former Bush Solicitor General Paul Clement, the lawyer House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) chose to support the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on behalf of Congress, will be paid $520 per hour in taxpayer money up to $500,000, according to a contract his law firm signed with the General Counsel of the House and the House Administration Committee.

The Maryland House of Delegates was going to hold its vote on legalizing same-sex marriage this afternoon after a dramatic legislative grind. But Democrats, true to their name, have managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The bill was sent back to committee following today's debate, effectively killing its chances for passage in this year's legislative session.

Britney Spears posed for Out magazine and did a Q&A by email. She hate flying, loves Sarah Jessica Parker's shoes, and thinks "everyone should be equal."

Maryland's legislature is so very, very close to legalizing same-sex marriage. How close? Well, the debate is already at that last-minute choke point where a handful of annoying Democrats nearly screw it up for no real reason!

Much to the disappointment of Maggie Gallagher and her troll-people hordes, Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the DoJ will no longer defend the controversial 1995 Defense of Marriage Act in federal courts. A huge win for the gays.

Fred Karger is a retired Republican operative who's pulled off some nasty hatchet jobs in presidential elections past. Now he's a gay activist and running for president himself, pretty much just to harass Mitt Romney in televised debates.

A 19-year-old lad named Zach Wahls testified yesterday in front of the Iowa House of Representatives, making the case against a proposed ban on gay marriage. It was, alas, in vain, but still a well-made point. And look how cute!

Iowa's House of Representatives voted in favor of a constitutional ban on gay marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships today.

Look who's coming out in favor of gay marriage! It's Barbara Bush, the less-drunk of President George W. Bush's twin daughters. "She was loved by the gay community at Yale," says a gay friend. All we need to hear!

Now that Republicans have gained a modicum of power in the United States Congress, it's time for them to recklessly interfere with local Washington politics! What's on the agenda? Banning gay marriage in the nation's capital, of course.