New York's LGBT couples may have had their matrimonial hopes dashed when the State Senate struck down a gay marriage bill in late 2009, but as of June 2010, same-sex couples looking for a little civil pomp and circumstance have the right to a marriage-like ceremony when they register themselves as domestic partners at City Hall.
Since 1993 when New York City began registering them, nearly 50,000 couples (a good percentage of them actually straight) have become domestic partners at one of the City Clerk's five borough offices. Until recently, domestic partnership registration was a fairly dry affair, involving little more than the handing over of a certificate.
Going to the Chapel
Now, should they choose, domestic partners can hold a civil ceremony at Manhattan's Marriage Bureau to commemorate their new legal status. Using the same two wedding chapels (one peach, one purple) where would-be spouses hold civil marriage ceremonies, domestic partners can, for the same $25 fee, turn their union into an event.
And as good timing would have it, thanks to a $12 million relocation and modernization of the Marriage Bureau headquarters in early 2009, downtown civil ceremonies are no longer bleak, fluorescent-lit affairs. Famed designer Jamie Drake, decorator of both Madonna's Los Angeles home and Mayor Bloomberg's Upper East Side townhouse, has ensured that marble columns, chandeliers and other shimmer now serve as the more appropriate order of the day.
Coupling accoutrements are even available for purchase on the spot, from flowers to disposable cameras to faux diamond bands—though no statistics yet on whether gay soulmates are actually stooping to fake bling.
NYC Domestic Partner Rights
While domestic partnership in New York City does not convey the same rights as marriage, it does offer a few key legal protections and entitlements, such as hospital visitation and the right of one domestic partner to maintain a rent-controlled apartment when the other dies. The pluses are probably greatest for Gotham municipal workers, whose health and other city benefits can be shared with their registered domestic partners.
Fees and Info for Domestic Partner Ceremonies
The fee for New York City domestic partnership registration is $35, while use of one of the Marriage Bureau's chapels for a ceremony is an additional $25.
More information about registering a domestic partnership in New York City is available at the City Clerk's official site.
Where: 141 Worth Street, between Centre and Baxter Streets
Phone: 212-669-2400
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.