Addressing the question of whether the bill represented student interests, Boni-Saenz said, "It doesn't just affect students who are gay. It affects students who are concerned with social justice."
Todd E. Plants '01 asked council members to "expand your view of what the proper role of this body really is."
"The student interest is what's at stake here, not just the student campus," he said. "It doesn't end at Johnston Gate."
Issues of parliamentary procedure led to three successive votes on the bill, which eventually passed by a slim margin of four votes.
The debate gave way to a more jovial discussion of a bill allocating money to Springfest.
According to members of the council's Campus Life Committee, this year's amusements will include UFO laser tag, a velcro wall, sumo wrestling, jousts and a 33-foot high "titanic slide."