When was gay marriage legalized in New York?
Honey Davenport by Davide Laffe
New York's Marriage Equality Act was signed into law by Governor Cuomo on June 24, 2011, allowing same-sex couples to marry legally in New York. The state become the sixth in the United States to license same-sex marriages.
Previously, the New York Senate had rejected same-sex marriage legislation in a 38–24 vote on December 2, 2009. In June 2011, same-sex marriage legislation passed both the House and the Senate.
At least 8,200 same-sex marriage licenses were issued between June 2011 and June 2012 in New York City, more than 10 percent of the 75,000 marriage licenses.
According to a poll promoted by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) in 2017, 69% of New Yorkers supported same-sex marriage, while 24% were opposed and 7% were undecided.
In 2021, ten years after the Marriage Equality was signed, the U.S. support for legal same-sex marriage reached a record-high of 70%.
Who was the first gay couple to get married in New York?
Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd, from Buffalo, were the first lesbian and same-sex couple to ever get married in the state of New York. The ceremony happened a minute after midnight on June 24, 2011, with the Niagara Falls lit up with the colors of a rainbow.
In New York City, the first same-sex couple to get married were Phyllis Siegel, 77, and Connie Kopelov, 85. They were together for 23 years before they could finally officialize their relationship.
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In 2022, the NYC Dyke March’s theme is D4T: Dykes for Trans Liberation, focusing on T4T (trans for trans) relationships and love in a year when the trans community is being heavily targeted by right-wing groups and members of congress all over the United States.