By 6 a.m. Thursday, hundreds of people stood at the Statehouse entrance and others chanted, waved flags and sang Gospel music on the sidewalks.

Lawmakers imposed a time limit on the debate, agreeing to take a vote by 5:30 p.m. That did not sit well with some lawmakers.

They ultimately need at least 101 votes among the 200-member Legislature to pass a proposed constitutional amendment this year, and set up another vote in the 2005-06 legislative session.

"So for at least two and a half years, gay people will be able to marry, and that's what has upset non-Massachusetts folks the most," Isaacson said.