UNIFORMS MIX WITH WEDDING FINERY AT SAME-SEX NUPTIALS: From the New York Times

The groom wore black and so did his groom.

The police officers also wore black, except for the chief, who wore gray and served a written warning to the officiating clergy, and a plainclothes detective, who wore blue and took notes during the ceremonies.

"I wanted to go in white, but Richard said it was unbecoming," said Kevin J. Hammonds of Brooklyn, shortly after he exchanged wedding vows with his partner of 11 years, Richard L. Schwartz, before a Unitarian minister.

Referring to the presence of 18 police officers, he said, "When people talk about the legal aspects of marriage they usually don't mean police at the altar."

Welcome to the world of weddings in New Paltz, the small upstate village where, three weeks ago, the 26-year-old mayor first challenged the State of New York to jail him for performing same-sex marriages. That mayor, Jason West, was charged with 19 counts of a criminal misdemeanor for solemnizing unlicensed marriages and was served with an injunction, which he has obeyed, to stop conducting the ceremonies.

In his place, an ad hoc group of residents and clergy who call themselves the New Paltz Equality Initiative have set to the task of organizing weekly marriage ceremonies along the banks of the Wallkill River. ...

The legality of the marriages in New Paltz will likely be determined by the courts, and those officiating--all of them Unitarian clergywomen--may face the same misdemeanor charges as the mayor.

As the couples prepared to be married, the New Paltz police chief, Raymond K. Zappone, delivered warning letters to the clergywomen from the Ulster County district attorney, Donald A. Williams.

The letters, similar to one delivered to Mayor West several days before he received his criminal summons, warned that a member of the clergy who solemnized an unlicensed marriage might be charged with a misdemeanor.

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posted by Eve at 5:49 PM | link

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