New Paltz, New York, 28 August 2004
“Welcome to this wonderful day. Will you take each other’s hand as you say your vows?
“David, do you take Rob as your marriage partner?”
“I do.”
“Rob, do you take David as your marriage partner?”
“I do.”
“Will you each love the other, honor him, comfort and respect him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, and will you be true to him as long as you both shall live?”
“I will.”
“I will.”
“With this ring, I thee wed.”
“With this ring, I thee wed.”
“Out of this tangled world, your two souls have come together, drawn by mutual love and respect. By your free choice, you have made a marriage. As all here wish for you a full life, a life rich in meanings and sharing, in caring and in joy, it is my joy to witness this marriage.
“For as much as you have committed yourselves to one another by the vows you have made and by the rings you have exchanged, therefore, in the name of Love and Justice, by the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now declare that you two are one, life partners, legally married to each other.
“May no one tear asunder those whom love has joined together.
“Will you greet each other with a kiss?”
And we did.
From a letter from the ACLU to the New Paltz Equality Initiative
“The usual way to get married in New York State is first to get a marriage license from a town or country clerk and then to have the marriage 'solemnized' by a mayor, judge, or member of the clergy who leads the couple through their vows. No town or county clerk in New York will presently issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple, however, so same-sex couples cannot follow the usual route.
“Even though you cannot get a marriage license, a solemnized wedding is still recognized under New York law. In several cases, where straight couples had their marriages solemnized but did not have marriage licenses, the courts ruled that the marriages were still valid. The same would be true in your case—if the underlying marriage is valid, the lack of a marriage license is irrelevant.”
