Legalizing gay marriage for the State of Illinois will not be possibility until this fall, reports the Huffington Post.

The Illinois House of Representatives will not vote on a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state this session. The issue will be taken up this fall, at the earliest.

The gay marriage bill’s sponsor, State Rep. Greg Harris, teary eyed, said of his decision, “I’ve never been sadder.”

Harris addressed the House floor Friday evening and announced that he would not be calling the vote Friday because House members asked for more time to consider it.

The speech of Rep. Harris was met with a standing ovation, as was another speech by state Rep. Deb Mell. She discussed her marriage to wife Christin Baker.

Harris, Cassidy and Mell are three of four openly LGBT members of the Illinois House.

The marriage equality bill was already approved by the state Senate and Gov. Quinn has vowed to sign it – so the House vote is the last remaining obstacle to its passage.

Chicago-based LGBT advocacy group The Civil Rights Agenda released a fiery statement placing the blame on a process not inclusive of racial minorities.

"From the beginning, we have been upset about the lack of diversity and inclusion in this process," the executive director of The Civil Rights Agenda, Anthony Martinez said.

"Unfortunately the Sponsor didn't include people of color in the sponsorship of the bill and the rich white guys from the north side of Chicago thought they could get it done with their checkbook. That was the downfall of this bill. We will continue to push and get this done.”

A Capitol Fax report published Friday morning indicated that marriage equality advocates had only one African-American lobbyist involved in their push in Springfield, the Illinois capital to get the bill passed.

According to the Huffington Post, advocates both for and against the bill were long viewing members of the Illinois House’s Black Caucus. The key “swing” votes on the issue will come from the group.

The Illinois Unites for Marriage coalition released a statement calling the failure to call a vote on the bill “disgraceful” and “simply unacceptable.”

Rep. Harris added, "I am sad to say that our bill, which would give all Illinoisans the freedom to marry, was not called in time before the end of session. However, we cannot let our disappointment today distract us from the fact that equal marriage will soon be a reality in Illinois."

Same-sex marriage advocates and sponsoring lawmakers were confident in the bill’s chances to passed earlier Friday, according to Chicago Phoenix.

In the days leading up to the vote, both President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton voiced their support of the bill. They urged state legislature to advance the marriage equality measure.