NEW YORK – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made use of some newly granted powers to officiate at his first wedding June 28, that of a same-sex couple who wed outside a Greenwich Village bar where police harassment of patrons sparked three days of riots in 1969.
David Contreras Turley, who worked as part of the coalition to pass the marriage equality law in New York State, exchanged vows with Peter Thiede, a UBS analyst.
The marriage took place in front of the Stonewall Inn on the day of the annual gay pride march and two days after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage across the country.
“Today is a good day because at the end of the day, love wins today. And any day that love wins is a good day,” Cuomo said before asking the couple to join him on stage, adding that he was slightly nervous, since “this is my first marriage.”
State law did not allow Cuomo to officiate at wedding ceremonies until last week. The authority to do so was granted as part of a slew of legislation passed days ago.
Prior to the wedding ceremony, attorney Roberta Kaplan spoke to the crowd. Kaplan represented Edie Windsor in the case that saw the court issue a ruling against the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Cuomo said New York played a role in getting same-sex marriage to the point where it was, by legalizing it in the state in 2011.
“New York passed marriage equality and people waited to see what happened.” Cuomo said. “And you know what? The sky didn’t fall and the earth didn’t stop spinning and there wasn’t anarchy and good people came together and are sharing their lives.”
