It was a weekend of festive bachelor and bachelorette parties in New York state, as hundreds of gay and lesbian couples were finally allowed on Sunday the right that everyone else in America is afforded — the right to legally marry the person of their choosing, regardless of gender.
The first same-sex marriages took place just after midnight in Niagara Falls, where local officials illuminated the infamous cascading waters in the colors of the rainbow, which is the internationally known symbol for gay unity and recognition. Gay and lesbian couples reveled in the historic day, after the NY State legislature approved same-sex marriages on June 24th, with a vote of 33 to 29.
In Albany, an excited mayor married 8 gay couples just after midnight, while in New York City, 823 couples tied the knot only minutes later, after having signed up in advance in a marriage license lottery. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg officiated at the wedding of 2 senior City Hall officials at a ceremony at Gracie Mansion, while Gov. Andrew Cuomo hosted a party for gay rights advocates and lawmakers at a Manhattan hotel. Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz officiated over a marathon series of weddings, complete with free cake and Champagne, and 3 gay couples plan to wed onstage tonight at the St. James Theater following the evening’s performance of the Broadway musical “Hair.”
New York has now joined Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia in allowing same-sex marriages in the United States. New York was strategically important to proponents of the cause, since it is now the largest state to permit legal marriage rights to couples of any orientation. Gay rights activists are more hopeful that with New York now in place, other states will soon follow suit and allow same-sex marriages to be performed and recognized nationwide.
