NY Times: New York Begins to Alter Policy on Gay Marriage

[marmar]

New York Begins to Alter Policy on Gay Marriage
By JEREMY PETERS
Published: May 29, 2008



ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson has directed all state agencies to begin to revise their policies and regulations to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, like Massachusetts, California and Canada.

In a directive issued on May 14, the governor’s legal counsel, David Nocenti, instructed the agencies that gay couples married elsewhere “should be afforded the same recognition as any other legally performed union.”

The revisions are most likely to involve as many as 1,300 statutes and regulations in New York governing everything from joint filing of income tax returns to transferring fishing licenses between spouses.

The move, which Mr. Paterson also mentioned in a videotaped message given to gay community leaders at a May 17 dinner, was viewed by people on both sides of the issue as a major step toward legalizing same-sex unions in the state.

“Very shortly, there will be hundreds and hundreds and hundreds, and probably thousands and thousands and thousands of gay people who have their marriages recognized by the state,” said Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, a Democrat who represents the Upper West Side and has pushed for legalization of gay unions.

Massachusetts and California are the only states that have legalized gay marriage, while others, including New Jersey and Vermont, allow civil unions. Forty-one states have laws limiting marriage to between a man and a woman. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/nyregion/29marriage.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[newmajority]

1. Yay Governor Patterson!

Sometimes it takes a blind man to see what so many with two good eyes can't see in front of their faces.