PHOTO: The gay marriage bill will have a harder path through the state's upper house.
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Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings has opened debate on same sex marriage, detailing letters from supporters.
Gay and lesbian couples have gathered in the public gallery of the House of Assembly to hear the bill debated.
It is expected to pass through the Lower House tonight, with the support of Labor and the Greens.
Ms Giddings says she has been flooded with letters of support from all over the world.
"Daughters wrote to me in support of their lesbian mothers, mothers and fathers wrote to me in support of their children in same-sex relationships, men and women in long-term committed relationships wrote to me with the hope that soon their relationship will receive the recognition they've longed for for decades," she said.
The bill will have a harder path through the Upper House, where some MPs are yet to declare their support.
