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So Many Gays Want To Get Wed Sunday, So NYC Needs A Lottery
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jul 19, 2011
Modified Jul 19, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Jul 19, 2011
Modified Jul 19, 2011
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Sunday, July 24, is gonna be one big gay wedding day in New York. And not just because Niagara Falls will be lit up like a rainbow. So many couples have expressed interest in getting hitched on the first day of legal marriage equality in New York State that New York City can't accomodate them all! Instead, the city today announced plans to give out spots to marry on Sunday via lottery. All in all the city expects to marry 764 couples on Sunday, which if reached will break the city record for marriages in one day by more than 100! The previous high was 621 marriages on Valentine's day 2003.
“We are going to make history on Sunday, with the eyes of the nation once again turning to New York City,” Mayor Bloomberg said today. “We’ve done our homework, and it’s clear that the number of couples who want to marry on Sunday is more than the City Clerk’s offices could possibly handle. And the last thing we want is for couples to wait on line for hours and hours, only to walk away upset on what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. The fairest way to determine who gets the chance to wed on Sunday and ensure everyone can properly plan for their own big day is through an even-handed lottery system. Nobody puts on big events like New York and we will be ready on Sunday for what will no doubt be an historic and unforgettable moment.”
The lottery is (for a quickie job out of the city) pretty simple:
Couples wishing to marry on July 24th must register for the lottery by going to the City Clerk’s website at www.nyc.gov or by calling 311. The lottery will open for entries at noon on July 19th and will close to entries at noon on July 21st. There is no advantage to registering quickly for the lottery - all applicants who register in time will have an equal opportunity to be randomly selected. There will be a separate lottery for each of the City Clerk’s five borough offices and lottery applicants must specify one - and only one - office where they wish to marry. Winners of the lottery will be notified via e-mail or phone on Friday, July 22nd by noon. Couples who already have pre-registered for a marriage license must enter the lottery if they wish to marry on July 24th
The city expects to marry 400 couples in Manhattan, 112 each in Brooklyn and Queens, 98 in the Bronx and 42 in Staten Island and will have more than 60 judges on hand across town issuing waivers of the state's 24-hour marriage waiting period.
The lottery plan was quickly embraced by groups that had helped bring marriage equality to New York (at great expense!). Brian Ellner of the Human Rights Campaign points out that "The record breaking number of couples registering to marry shows how popular—and right—passing marriage equality was. The lottery is a good compromise. Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn took this great problem to have and came up with a good solution. There will be a lot of love at the City Clerk's Office on Sunday." Because really, the important thing is that gay men and women can now get married—nobody will die if they have to wait an extra day.
Tagged
gay day
gay marriage
gay nups
marriage equality
Garth Johnston
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