As the votes were cast in the state Senate today in Round Two of the gay marriage ban, not a single Republican stepped over the aisle to defend the civil rights of Wisconsin’s gay citizens. But all 14 Democrats voted “No”, including Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) and Sen. Roger Breske (D-Town of Eland), who both voted in favor of the ban last year.

Democrats, led by Sen. Hansen and Sen. Tim Carpenter (Milwaukee), tried in vain to remove the pernicious second clause of the “Defense of Marriage Act”, which would deny legal status in Wisconsin to relationships “substantially similar” to marriage, such as civil unions or domestic partnerships that many employers recognize for health insurance purposes. Republicans rejected it.

Republican Senator Alberta Darling (North Shore Milwaukee) — who this Monday at a meeting assured about 50 members of the “No on Amendment” coalition that she supported civil unions — on Wednesday refused to break ranks with her party and take a stand for those beliefs by supporting the Democrats’ changes.

After a series of efforts today to limit the scope of the “Defense of Marriage Act,” Sen. Carpenter’s final move was to attempt to move the statewide referendum on the amendment to the presidential election of 2008, arguing that the higher voter turnout in presidential elections would give more people a voice on the ban.

Even this democratic change was rejected by Republicans, who are targeting the 2006 governor’s elections for the referendum vote. If voters approve the ban in the referendum vote, it will be the first time in state history that the Wisconsin Constitution will be changed to deny to state citizens their constitutional protections under the law.

Despite the 19-14 tally in the Senate, the “No on the Amendment” Coalition called the Senate vote a victory.

“Every day that we explain the constitutional ban on civil unions, domestic partnerships and marriage to the people of Wisconsin, we gain votes,” said No on the Amendment Campaign Manager Mike Tate.

“Since 2004, we gained two senators–Senators Hansen and Breske–producing a much narrower margin of support for this amendment. Every senator represents 160,000 Wisconsinites.”

The fight to save the Wisconsin Constitution — and nontraditional couples in Wisconsin — from the Republican Party of Wisconsin now moves to the Assembly for one final vote before it is officially on the 2006 ballot as a referendum.

“We have 335 more days to talk to Wisconsin voters about the far reaching consequences of this amendment, and we will fight every day for every vote,” Tate said.

“We are ready for this fight, and we will win this fight.”

Unless Republicans in the Assembly surprise everyone by bucking the GOP national agenda on these bans, married couples throughout Wisconsin will have a simple choice in 2006: Defend marriage in the state by keeping the Republicans in the Legislature out of the business of defining what marriage, civil unions and partnerships should be.