Land Lauds New York Enactment of Marriage Equality Law

Same-sex couples can begin to marry in New York now that the state Senate passed marriage equality legislation by a 33-29 vote late last week. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law on June 24, making New York the sixth state to legalize gay marriage.

“History is again being made, and as we continue to see more and more support for marriage equality, this will soon be just a way of life for all of us,” Councilwoman Abbe Land said in a statement released Monday. “I am thrilled to congratulate New York and all of the couples there who can now legally marry."

Land also emphasized her continued commitment to secure marriage equality in California.

“While we celebrate this incredible victory in New York, it would be false to say that we aren’t still deeply disappointed and angry at having marriage equality ripped out of our state by Proposition 8," she said. "We will continue to fight for the return of marriage equality in California, and to ensure that our state will once again treat same-sex couples with fairness, dignity and justice."

New York joins five other states—Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as Washington, D.C. —that have already legalized same-sex marriage. Marriages performed elsewhere were already recognized as valid in New York, as well as in Maryland, New Mexico and Rhode Island.

In California, marriages that took place in 2008 before the passage of Proposition 8 are also recognized as valid.