Gay and lesbian couples stage 'wedding march' across Brooklyn Bridge

By Stephanie Gaskell DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Gay and lesbian couples marched across the Brooklyn Bridge Sunday for the fifth year - vowing not to give up until they can marry in New York.
"Wedding March" protesters hoofed it across the bridge to urge the state Legislature to pass a bill legalizing gay marriage.
A gay marriage bill cleared the Assembly, but it hasn't been put to a vote in the GOP-run state Senate.
"There is nothing better we can do to help the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community than to win back the state Senate," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a Democrat who is also openly gay.
In May, Gov. Paterson issued an order recognizing gay marriages performed outside New York - and a court upheld it.
"Little by little, we are moving forward," said City Controller William Thompson, a Democrat who is considering a run for mayor. "I don't think we're that far away."
Gay couples said New York is more accepting of them than most places are, but they want the full legal benefits of marriage.
"Most straight people don't realize how many rights we don't have," said Gerry Greene, a 56-year-old retired Wall Street executive who wed Darrell Greene in Massachusetts last month.

California Same Sex Weddings are recognized by New York and several other states.