1324 Reasons for Marriage Equality in New York State 
A joint publication of the Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation & New York City Bar Association
This report seeks to catalog all of the legal rights and duties that New York statutes and regulations confer on married individuals. As the report demonstrates, the panoply of rights and responsibilities that accompany marriage is vast and far-reaching, and ranges from the profound to the mundane.
Many of the 1,324 statutes and regulations documented here involve literally life and death matters, or give special privileges to help couples support each other and their children. Other benefits and duties, although seemingly trivial, nevertheless serve to underscore the extraordinary breadth of marriage-related law in New York, and how minutely interwoven this body of law is – and how diversely it impacts – people’s everyday lives.
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New York State Poll Results on Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
Review the results of statewide polls commissioned by the Pride Agenda asking New Yorkers where they stand on marriage for same-sex couples and related questions.
- March 2006 Poll Results, PDF
- March 2005 Poll Results, PDF
- March 2004 Poll Results, PDF
Economic Benefits of Marriage Equality for New York
Read the 2007 report put out by the New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. (June 5, 2007), PDF
Read the press release put out by the Office of the NYC Comptroller on the report (June 5, 2007), PDF
New York State Court Decisions on Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
Read the decision by the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court, finding no Constitutional mandate to provide same-sex couples access to marriage. Also review the two Briefs the Pride Agenda played a lead role in assembling and writing.
- New York State Court of Appeals Decision, July 6, 2006, PDF
- Friend of the Court Brief of Religious Organizations, May 1, 2006, PDF
- Friend of the Court Brief of the Empire State Pride Agenda, May 1, 2006, PDF
Read the victorious lower court decision from the State Supreme Court of New York in New York County, often referred to as the Ling-Cohan Decision.
- Hernandez v. Robles, New York State Supreme Court Decision, February 4, 2005, PDF
To review additional Briefs, other lower and intermediate decisions that resulted in the court’s final ruling on July 6, 2006, visit Lambda Legal’s website at www.lambdalegal.org and the LGBT Project section of the American Civil Liberties Union’s website at www.ACLU.org.
New York State Legal Recognition of Marriages Between Same-Sex Couples
Read New York State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer’s 2004 argument for recognizing marriages of same-sex couples lawfully conducted elsewhere. Read the press release for an summarized account of the document.
- Attorney General Spitzer’s Legal Memo, March 3, 2004 PDF
- Press Release, March 3, 2004 PDF
Read New York State Appellate Court's February 2008 decision to recognize out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples.
- Martinez v. County of Monroe, New York Supreme Court Decision, Appellate Division, February 1, 2008 PDF
Read New York State Governor David A. Paterson’s May 2008 directive ordering all State agencies to recognize marriages of same-sex couples lawfully conducted elsewhere.
- Memo Advisory by New York State Governor Paterson’s Legal Counsel David Nocenti, May 14, 2008 PDF
U.S. GAO Report on Federal Marriage Rights and Responsibilities
Read the 2004 U.S. Government Accounting Office Report detailing the additional federal marriage rights and responsibilities that have been enacted since the 1997 Report, now bringing the total number to 1,138 (January 23, 2004), PDF
Read the 1997 U.S. Government Accounting Office Report detailing the 1,049 federal marriage rights and responsibilities denied to same-sex couples (January 31, 1997), PDF
Registering a Domestic Partnership in New York State
While there is currently no statewide domestic partner registry in New York, a number of localities across the state have established their own registries. Following are localities that provide domestic partner registration information online:
Information on Civil Unions
Read Lambda Legal’s publication on civil unions that provides couples thinking about entering into a civil union with information they need to know.
Civil Unions for Same-Sex Couples – What’s Next!
Get information on civil unions in these states: