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Gay Weddings Continue In NY by Beth Shapiro, 365Gay.com March 13, 2004 New Paltz, NY -- The march by same-sex couples to the altar in San Francisco may have come to an end, but it is becoming a weekend tradition in the small New York State village of New Paltz. Twenty-five gay and lesbian couples were married today by two Unitarian Universalist ministers despite a threat that they could be charged if they wed any more gay couples. New Paltz Mayor Jason West is already charged with 19 counts of violating New York State law for marrying two dozen same-sex couples February 27, and is under a court order not to perform any more. Last weekend the Revs. Kay Greenleaf and Dawn Sangrey took over for West and wed more than a dozen couples. They were hauled into the district attorney's office on Thursday and told they too could face charges if they continued to perform gay weddings. They told D. A. Donald Williams that denying same-sex couples the right to marry is unconstitutional and were non committal on whether they would continue. As late as Friday night, when the couples married today were informed the weddings would go ahead it was kept a secret who would actually perform the ceremony in case Williams sought an injunction. On Saturday, Greenleaf and Sangrey were joined by a third minister, the Rev. Marion Visel, in performing the ceremonies in the village 75 miles north of New York City. Williams was not available for comment Saturday. "Our view is that we are not breaking the law because the constitutions of the United States and of New York state say there will be no discrimination," Greenleaf said. Village Trustee Robert Hebel, who filed the lawsuit that resulted in the Justice Vincent Bradley's restraining order against Mayor West called Saturday's weddings outrageous. "They can say anything they want, but the bottom line is they are breaking the law," Hebel said. Friday, a lawsuit was filed against the state of New York by 10 same-sex couples including the mayor of Nyack and his partner, accusing the state of violating the constitution. It was the second challenge to the law in New York. The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, filed suit last Friday in Manhattan seeking the right for same-sex couples to become legally wed. A similar suit was filed in California after the state Supreme Court ordered San Francisco to stop issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. |
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