New York State Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Becoming Largest State to Pass Law

Now I love NY even more

Congratulations to New York, your humble blogger’s favourite US State, on the passing of the marriage equality bill last night.

Like many of you, I watched the vote via closed circuit televisoin on net and got a little misty eyed as the vote passed in the Senate 33-29 (with four members of the Republican majority joining all but one Democrat in the Senate in supporting the bill).

One of the most moving speeches of the night was from Senator Mark J. Grisanti, a Republican from Buffalo who had sought office promising to oppose same-sex marriage.  He told his colleagues he had agonized for months before concluding he had been wrong:

“I apologize for those who feel offended,” Mr. Grisanti said, adding, “I cannot deny a person, a human being, a taxpayer, a worker, the people of my district and across this state, the State of New York, and those people who make this the great state that it is the same rights that I have with my wife.”

I think that sums it up.

Soon after the vote, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York signed a same-sex marriage bill into law in his office at the State Capitol.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York signing the same-sex marriage bill into law

This makes (to quote from The New York Times) “New York the largest state where gay and lesbian couples will be able to wed and giving the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born.”

Today’s New York Times article

So it’s a happy day (landing on the first day of NYC Pride, no less!) for my NY friends and family.  Now just one quick question:

“When you getting married?”

Jeffrey, The Gay Groom

Vancouver Can Wait (or Palm Springs Here We Come)

Our Palm Springs Holiday, March 2009

On my last blog I mentioned that I was going to be accompanying the Husband to Vancouver later this week.

But Vancouver will have to wait.

Instead (after some discussion and a report that it will be a cold and damp spring) we decided that a weekend in Vancouver just wouldn’t cut it.   So, (for a small 50 dollar fee) we changed my Vancouver flight to a Palm Springs for later in the month.

The husband and I had not intended to go south this year.  We had wanted to save a little money but (as it turned out) one can only take a long Canadian winter (that refuses to let go to spring) for only so long.

You win, Winter!

The husband and I just couldn’t make it through this whole miserable winter and the upcoming miserable spring without some vitamin D that doesn’t come in a pill.  That’s right, Winter kicked our butts.

So we will be spending a week sunning ourselves at a guesthouse in sunny Palm Springs, California.

And now that WestJet has a direct flight from Toronto right to Palm Springs, it makes getting there much easier (I won’t even go into the hassle we went through last year changing planes in Las Vegas).

Bring on the sun!

We also just put down our deposit for an Atlantis Mexican Riviera cruise in October.  It will be to celebrate  our second wedding anniversary.

Atlantis, as you may know,  is the big gay cruise line.

Our Altantis Honeymoon Cruise, October 2009

The Husband seems to enjoy cruising more than your humble blogger.  After a year of hard work, he likes to park himself on a ship and do nothing… while I’d rather be strolling through Paris again (though the Husband likes to call my strolls ‘forced marches’).  However, I am looking forward to the October cruise as well.

But more about gay cruising on a subsequent blog.

Right now I have to get ready for Palm Springs… can one lose twenty-five pounds in two week?

Jeffrey, The Gay Groom

JUST MARRIED! Our Wedding Photos – Oct 3 2009

For those who have been writing and asking for more Gay Groom blogs, thanks so much for taking the time to write and comment!

No, I was not left at the alter.  Neither did I run off with the caterer nor was I run over by our wedding limo.

Over the last month your humble blogger has been enjoying the life of a (very) married man.

Yes, the Gay Groom is MARRIED!

Legally absolutely totally you-bet-yer-ass married!

I do apologize for my lapse in blogging.  My lack of writing as the ceremony approached was twofold:  1) I just didn’t have the time and 2) your humble blogger’s nerves were shot!   There was weather to worry about (would it rain?)… flowers that may have been destroyed if there was a frost before the big day (would they freeze?)… family that became ill (would they come?)…

But looking back on it now, it was lovely.

Dare I say that it went off without a hitch?

It even made the New York Gay City News:

http://www.gaycitynews.com/articles/2009/10/23/gay_city_news/arts/doc4ad751372d485768389292.txt

I could go on (and I will on my next blog post – I do have a few more things to say before signing off) but, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.  So please allow me share my wedding album with you.

By the way, I’m the groom with the PINK tie…