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OK, now New York is in the act! From, "The New York Times":
February 27, 2004
Gay Marriage Debate Shifts to Small New York Township
By THOMAS CRAMPTON and CHRISTINE HAUSER
NEW PALTZ, N.Y., Feb 27 — After making headlines in San Francisco and Massachusetts, the national debate over gay marriage shifted today to the Hudson Valley community of New Paltz, where the mayor performed wedding ceremonies for at least 20 same-sex couples.
"I just want to be equal," said Billiam van Roestenberg, 39, who spoke to CNN after he and his partner, Jeffrey S. McGowan , exchanged vows.
This afternoon, the State Health Department called on Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to seek an injunction to "prevent further illegal conduct" by the mayor, according to a statement issued by the department, whose commissioner, Antonia C. Novello, is appointed by Gov. George E. Pataki. The department also called on Mr. Spitzer to declare the ceremonies that had been performed "null and void."
Mr. Spitzer''s office had no immediate comment.
Another couple who exchanged vows here today, Barry Nevins and his partner, who asked that his name not be published, said they had been together for more than four years, and had even exchanged rings and vows on a Caribbean cruise trip.
But today, angered by President Bush''s call this week for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages, they went to New Paltz to take their relationship one step further.
The mayor, Jason West, performed the ceremonies for same-sex couples, saying that it was a matter of equal rights. The 26-year old mayor, elected last year on the Green Party ticket, expressed no concern about any potential legal sanctions against him. "I will be performing these solemnizations for the foreseeable future," he said.
Governor Pataki was weighing whether he should or even could issue an executive order to halt the proceedings, according to two state officials outside the administration. In a brief discussion with reporters early in the day, Mr. Pataki said that New York State law was clear and that no new law was needed.
"This law states that a marriage is between a man and a woman," Mr. Pataki said, according to a transcript provided by his office. "Our attorneys are talking with the Health Department and with the attorney general''s office to see what steps they may determine are appropriate."
Aides to Attorney General Spitzer, queried before the Health Department''s request for an injunction, said that he too was trying to figure out what the state''s legal position should be on Mr. West''s actions today.
As in other parts of the United States, the event highlighted divisions of opinion. Couples lined up outside of the Village Hall, some carrying flowers, while a few people carried signs of protest, including one that said, "Gay marriage not morally right."
An official in the town clerk''s office said that marriage licenses could not be given out to same-sex couples, and therefore the legal basis for the marriages performed today was in question.
The Village of New Paltz''s Web site called the ceremonies "gender-neutral" marriages. And Joshua Rosenkranz, a lawyer for the mayor, contended that under New York State domestic law, a marriage is valid once it is solemnized by an official or judge.
Mr. Nevins, a 42-year-old hospital administrator, said that he had no idea whether his marriage to his partner would be legally recognized any more than their Caribbean marriage ceremony three years ago.
But as with many of the gay couples trying to get marriage licenses, that is not the whole point.
"It is a statement to say that no one has the right to tell me who I can marry," Mr. Nevins said in a telephone interview from the town clerk''s office in New Paltz, where he was unable to get a license but was given directions to the mayor''s office.
On Tuesday, President Bush, citing San Francisco''s decision to issue marriage licenses to gay couples despite state laws that appear to be to the contrary, said that the union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution. He said he supported an amendment that would counteract "activist judges" who have issued rulings in favor of gay marriage.
More than 3,300 same-sex couples have gotten married in San Francisco since Feb. 12, after the mayor urged municipal officials to issue licenses to same-sex couples, and California courts are now considering legal challenges both to the marriages and to the laws that forbid them.
The comedian and talk show host Rosie O''Donnell, who has become a prominent advocate for gay rights since she announced she was a lesbian in 2002, married her partner of six years in San Francisco on Thursday, an act that she said had been "inspired" by President Bush''s remarks.
In addition to New Paltz, the mayor of Schenectady was also considering allowing same-sex marriage ceremonies, according to a state official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because, with events moving so quickly, the official did not want to be seen as encouraging or discouraging such actions.
Today, television trucks converged on New Paltz, located not far from the Hudson River and the Shawangunk Mountains, a ridge of rugged and rocky cliffs popular with rock climbers.
"This would have to be the largest coverage of New Paltz since I joined the department 28 years ago," the township''s police chief, Raymond K. Zappone, said.
Mr. Nevins said he and his partner had driven two hours to reach the mayor''s office.
"Gay and lesbian people have been persecuted and oppressed," he said. "If Rosie O''Donnell can go and get married, I think we can too."
Marc Santora contributed reporting for this article from Albany, Thomas Crampton contributed reporting from New Paltz and Christine Hauser reported from New York City.
Marc Santora contributed reporting for this article from Albany, Thomas Crampton contributed reporting from New Paltz and Christine Hauser reported from New York City.
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | Help | Back to Top
February 27, 2004
Gay Marriage Debate Shifts to Small New York Township
By THOMAS CRAMPTON and CHRISTINE HAUSER
NEW PALTZ, N.Y., Feb 27 — After making headlines in San Francisco and Massachusetts, the national debate over gay marriage shifted today to the Hudson Valley community of New Paltz, where the mayor performed wedding ceremonies for at least 20 same-sex couples.
"I just want to be equal," said Billiam van Roestenberg, 39, who spoke to CNN after he and his partner, Jeffrey S. McGowan , exchanged vows.
This afternoon, the State Health Department called on Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to seek an injunction to "prevent further illegal conduct" by the mayor, according to a statement issued by the department, whose commissioner, Antonia C. Novello, is appointed by Gov. George E. Pataki. The department also called on Mr. Spitzer to declare the ceremonies that had been performed "null and void."
Mr. Spitzer''s office had no immediate comment.
Another couple who exchanged vows here today, Barry Nevins and his partner, who asked that his name not be published, said they had been together for more than four years, and had even exchanged rings and vows on a Caribbean cruise trip.
But today, angered by President Bush''s call this week for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages, they went to New Paltz to take their relationship one step further.
The mayor, Jason West, performed the ceremonies for same-sex couples, saying that it was a matter of equal rights. The 26-year old mayor, elected last year on the Green Party ticket, expressed no concern about any potential legal sanctions against him. "I will be performing these solemnizations for the foreseeable future," he said.
Governor Pataki was weighing whether he should or even could issue an executive order to halt the proceedings, according to two state officials outside the administration. In a brief discussion with reporters early in the day, Mr. Pataki said that New York State law was clear and that no new law was needed.
"This law states that a marriage is between a man and a woman," Mr. Pataki said, according to a transcript provided by his office. "Our attorneys are talking with the Health Department and with the attorney general''s office to see what steps they may determine are appropriate."
Aides to Attorney General Spitzer, queried before the Health Department''s request for an injunction, said that he too was trying to figure out what the state''s legal position should be on Mr. West''s actions today.
As in other parts of the United States, the event highlighted divisions of opinion. Couples lined up outside of the Village Hall, some carrying flowers, while a few people carried signs of protest, including one that said, "Gay marriage not morally right."
An official in the town clerk''s office said that marriage licenses could not be given out to same-sex couples, and therefore the legal basis for the marriages performed today was in question.
The Village of New Paltz''s Web site called the ceremonies "gender-neutral" marriages. And Joshua Rosenkranz, a lawyer for the mayor, contended that under New York State domestic law, a marriage is valid once it is solemnized by an official or judge.
Mr. Nevins, a 42-year-old hospital administrator, said that he had no idea whether his marriage to his partner would be legally recognized any more than their Caribbean marriage ceremony three years ago.
But as with many of the gay couples trying to get marriage licenses, that is not the whole point.
"It is a statement to say that no one has the right to tell me who I can marry," Mr. Nevins said in a telephone interview from the town clerk''s office in New Paltz, where he was unable to get a license but was given directions to the mayor''s office.
On Tuesday, President Bush, citing San Francisco''s decision to issue marriage licenses to gay couples despite state laws that appear to be to the contrary, said that the union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution. He said he supported an amendment that would counteract "activist judges" who have issued rulings in favor of gay marriage.
More than 3,300 same-sex couples have gotten married in San Francisco since Feb. 12, after the mayor urged municipal officials to issue licenses to same-sex couples, and California courts are now considering legal challenges both to the marriages and to the laws that forbid them.
The comedian and talk show host Rosie O''Donnell, who has become a prominent advocate for gay rights since she announced she was a lesbian in 2002, married her partner of six years in San Francisco on Thursday, an act that she said had been "inspired" by President Bush''s remarks.
In addition to New Paltz, the mayor of Schenectady was also considering allowing same-sex marriage ceremonies, according to a state official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because, with events moving so quickly, the official did not want to be seen as encouraging or discouraging such actions.
Today, television trucks converged on New Paltz, located not far from the Hudson River and the Shawangunk Mountains, a ridge of rugged and rocky cliffs popular with rock climbers.
"This would have to be the largest coverage of New Paltz since I joined the department 28 years ago," the township''s police chief, Raymond K. Zappone, said.
Mr. Nevins said he and his partner had driven two hours to reach the mayor''s office.
"Gay and lesbian people have been persecuted and oppressed," he said. "If Rosie O''Donnell can go and get married, I think we can too."
Marc Santora contributed reporting for this article from Albany, Thomas Crampton contributed reporting from New Paltz and Christine Hauser reported from New York City.
Marc Santora contributed reporting for this article from Albany, Thomas Crampton contributed reporting from New Paltz and Christine Hauser reported from New York City.
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | Help | Back to Top
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