NYC to Let More Gay Couples Marry on Sunday

Demand not as high as expected for first day same-sex marriage permitted
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 22, 2011 9:47 AM CDT
New York City: Every Lottery Participant Can Marry Sunday, When Same-Sex Marriage Becomes Legal
Marchers hold signs thanking Governor Andrew Cuomo for keeping his campaign promise and legalizing same-sex marriage during the 2011 NYC LGBT Pride March on the streets of Manhattan on June 26, 2011.   (Getty Images)

Happy news for New York City's gay lovebirds: Officials believe every couple who wanted to get married this Sunday will be able to. Officials were initially worried demand would be too high on the first day same-sex marriages will be allowed, and established a lottery for the 764 available slots. But only 823 couples applied, and the city says it will make room for the additional 59 couples, the New York Times reports. Not surprisingly, most of the lottery participants were gay couples, though a few may have been straight couples.

"Everybody wins," says the City Council speaker in a statement. The only downside is that 74 randomly selected couples who wanted to marry in Manhattan will have to go to a different borough. “It’s a relief to know that we will be able to go forward with our plans,” says one man who will marry his partner in Queens instead of Manhattan. “We’re celebrating not only ourselves, but we’re celebrating the privilege that we’ve acquired.” If couples who did not participate in the lottery show up to marry on Sunday, officials say they will likely not be accomodated. (More gay marriage stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X