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New York's Gay Marriage Indecision Is Greenwich's Gain
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 11, 2009
Modified Jun 11, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 11, 2009
Modified Jun 11, 2009
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While it's unclear what will happen to the gay marriage legislation with Albany in disarray (there might actually be a vote, but it's questionable whether there will be enough votes to pass it), one thing is for sure: Same-sex New York couples are heading to Connecticut to get married. A Westchester couple tells the NY Times that they would have loved to have a New York wedding—"Our lives are here; our friends are here"—but "It got to the point where it doesn’t look 100 percent good right now. When you have Greenwich, Conn., 20 minutes away, I said, 'Why are we waiting?'"
According to the Times, since Connecticut legalized same-sex marriage, Greenwich has had 139 gay marriages—most from NYC. Local businesses are hoping that couples will see the bucolic, WASPy town as a place for not just getting married but receptions as well (the Hyatt Regency in town says it advertised its weddings services on gay and lesbian websites) while justices of the peace are doing big business. One, Elizabeth Bonsal, said the emotions have run high, "About 90 percent of the same-sex couples I marry, one or both have tears in their eyes. Heterosexual couples will do that occasionally, but they haven’t been denied this right."
As for gay marriage's chances in the NY State Senate, there have been questions about Senator Thomas Duane's whereabouts, post-coup. His absence at a Democratic press conference led to speculation that the GOP might be wooing him to defect as well (Duane is the gay marriage bill's prime sponsor), but he tells Gay City News, "Yes, I did miss a Democratic press conference on Monday. And except for when I really needed to be in the Capitol, I chose not to be there because it's a very toxic place, full of only rumors. My not being there has nothing to do with anything other than it not being a place where I wanted to spend a lot of time. I don't think anyone should read anything more into it."
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gay marriage
greenwich
same sex marriage
state senate
Thomas Duane
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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