Yesterday
morning
news broke that NY Governor David Paterson has
ordered state agencies to recognize legal marriages
between same-sex couples conducted out of state as equal to New
York marriage. To be clear, marriages between same-sex
partners conducted in New York State are
not yet legal, but couples who want to marry in
California, Canada and other states and countries that recognize
same-sex marriages can do so and have those unions fully recognized
in New York!*
With other states
poised to begin recognizing same-sex marriages in the
coming months and years, this is a huge
win for New Yorkers, even as we wait for the State
Assembly to act on marriage equality legislation so that you don’t
have to leave your state to obtain a legal marriage.
In the meantime,
Family Equality Council wants to know which of
our New York State parents are thinking about or already planning
to legally wed out-of-state in order to
benefit from Governor Paterson’s recognition order. If you plan to
legally marry elsewhere or are seriously considering it, send an
email to dustin.kight@familyequality.org
with the subject heading “NY Couple Marrying Out of State” with
your:
Name (First
and Last)
Telephone
Number
Partner’s
Name (First and Last)
Number of Children (if any) and Ages
Location in NY (City, Zip)
Intended Marriage State
Intended Date of Marriage
We are already
receiving requests from newspapers and other media outlets
looking to chronicle the stories of real New York families who want
to make marriage a part of their lives. We will not share any of
your information without contacting you first, but would like to
give you the opportunity to put a real family face on the
need for marriage equality in your state.
If you have questions, please
contact Dustin Kight at dustin.kight@familyequality.org
or at 617.502.8700 x 228. To get involved in the political fight
for marriage equality in New York, work with our state partners at
Empire State Pride Agenda. (*Massachusetts was
not mentioned in the above list of marriage equality
states/countries because it is unclear at this point whether MA
will allow NY couples to marry. To stay up-to-date on this issue
and more, subscribe to the Family Equality Council Blog!)