- Title: USA: Same-sex couples in New York can begin applying online for marriage licenses
- Date: 6th July 2011
- Summary: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS). VARIOUS OF SAME-SEX COUPLES GETTING MARRIED
- Embargoed: 21st July 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa, Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Legal System
- Reuters ID: LVA3KEXVQBAC325B25Q97MXDRPAF
- Story Text: Same-sex couples in New York could begin filling out online applications for marriage licenses on Tuesday (July 5) -- just 11 days after a bill was passed in New York's State Senate on June 24th, legalizing gay marriage.
The online applications, on the City Clerk's website, is one step in the marriage license process. Couples are still expected to appear in person to finalize the process and to collect the licenses, which will be issued on July 25th.
The moment the licenses are issued, couple are free to wed. Many are hoping to tie the knot on the same day or soon after.
Events are already being arranged, including one planned for July 26th in New York City's Washington Square Park, where wedding officiants plan to marry gay couples for free, all day long.
According to a report by the Independent Democratic Conference, more than 21,000 gay and lesbian couples from New York would marry within the first three years and nearly 42,000 gay and lesbian couples from out of state would travel to New York for a "destination wedding", following the June 24th decision.
The most populous state to approve marriage equality legislation, New York is the sixth state to legalize gay nuptials, joining Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia. Civil unions were approved in Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois and New Jersey.
The legislation not only signaled a victory for gay rights activists nationwide, but also brought along the promise of a boost for local economy.
The upcoming nuptials are expected to pump millions of dollars into local coffers.
According to Anja Winikka, Site Editor of TheKnot.Com, it's good news for those crunching the numbers.
"This can be nothing but good news for the wedding business, you know, just more couples getting married. As I understand, in Massachusetts, after they passed their same-sex law, they had a 100 million dollar increase in revenue to the state, over the next four and a half years. The expectation is that for New York as well. So 184 million dollars is expected to be generated just from the law passing, over the next three years," Winikka explained.
TheKnot.com, one of the leading wedding websites, has set up a special page for gay weddings, and its editors are exciting about the new legislation.
"We've had a lot of gay wedding submissions from Massachusetts, Vermont, Iowa, but the exciting part for us is that we get to feature new, fabulous, legal same-sex weddings from New York City, and trust me, these wedding in New York City are going to be beautiful," says Winikka.
Same sex marriage is still banned in 39 U.S. states.
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