The cause of the upheaval was the impending passage of the city's gay-rights bill.

Dreyfus signed the gay-rights bill, saying "there are some questions the government has no business asking."

Letting the gay-rights bill come to a vote, however, is a bold move for Senator Bruno and his Republican colleagues.

The gay-rights bill also specifically gives one military exemption, to Reserve Officer Training Corps programs, which continue to operate as the main military recruiting effort on most campuses.

Supporters of the gay-rights bill specifically requested that the Governor keep his public lobbying to a minimum, fearing that his involvement would serve more to polarize than persuade.

Supporters of the measure recall that the momentum behind a similar gay-rights bill stalled in 1983 in the Assembly and that it lost.

After a nearly two-hour discussion with his members behind closed doors, Mr. Marino said "the vast majority" of the 35 Senate Republicans opposed putting the gay-rights bill on the floor.