Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer and his fiancee, Elyse Buxbaum, will marry in Connecticut this year to protest the inequality that prevents same-sex couples from marrying in New York.
The New York Times writes about the decision by Stringer and Buxbaum, which they view as an opportunity to take "personal responsibility" and set an example, or maybe even start a trend among different-sex couples.
"If enough people who have somewhat of a profile -- not just politicians, but artists and business leaders -- start going into Massachusetts or Connecticut and show New York how embarrassing it is that you can't get a marriage license for same-sex couples, then we will change things," said Stringer, a native New Yorker and former state assemblyman from the Upper West Side who may run for mayor in 2013.
He and Buxbaum, the director of corporate and government relations at the Jewish Museum, met five years ago. They told the Times that they did not intend to make a statement at first, but the contrast between their freedom and the inequality experienced by close gay friends quickly became obvious and prompted their consciences to act.
The couple will hold a civil marriage ceremony in Connecticut late this summer, and then return to New York for a religious service with a rabbi in September.
Recently, the New York City clerk's office began offering wedding-like ceremonies for same-sex couples who register for domestic partnerships. City council speaker Christine Quinn, also a likely 2013 mayoral contender, has pressed the clerk's office to inform same-sex couples of places where they can travel to get married. Same-sex marriages from other states and jurisdictions are recognized in New York. A marriage equality bill failed in the state senate last year.
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