NYC Form Asks Same-Sex Couples: Who's the Bride?

Marriage license application wasn't updated
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 6, 2011 9:49 AM CDT
NYC Form Asks Same-Sex Couples: Who's the Bride?
Marchers hold signs thanking Governor Andrew Cuomo for keeping his campaign promise and legalizing Same-Sex Marriage during the 2011 NYC LGBT Pride March.   (Getty Images)

As of yesterday, same-sex couples could officially apply for New York City marriage licenses. But those who jumped at the chance encountered a little oops on the part of the Big Apple: The city clerk's online forms still requested the name of the "bride" and "groom," reports the New York Times. It led to laughs, jokes ("You're going to be the bride," the Times recounts one 160-pound man telling his 250-pound fiancé), and complaints ("We’re being force-feminized by the NY marriage application!" one person tweeted).

By the evening, the application had been updated to "Bride/Groom/Spouse A" and "Bride/Groom/Spouse B." The Times called the confusion a reminder that even in our high-tech age, "bureaucracy can take some time to catch up with history." And the confusion may not end with the updated form: Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the state on July 24, which is a Sunday. It's not yet clear if marriage licenses will be available that day. (More gay marriage stories.)

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