Poughkeepsie Journal

Sunday, March 28, 2004
11 same-sex couples say 'I do' in New Paltz; Marriage: Celebration planned next Sunday
Group plans bimonthly ceremonies
By Gabriel J. Wasserman
Poughkeepsie Journal

NEW PALTZ -- Eleven more same-sex couples took marriage vows Saturday in New Paltz, where a sunny midday sky allowed the celebrants breathtaking views of the Shawangunk Mountains.

''We love each other ... but it was a political decision,'' said Carolyn Farhie, who married her partner of 6 years, Judith Schray, 43. ''We just decided it was a good point in history.''

The Brooklyn couple had no plans to seek a formal union until President Bush proposed banning same-sex marriage nationwide, Farhie, 33, said.

Eight other female couples and two male couples also tied the knot outside the LeFevre House Bed and Breakfast off Southside Avenue. Most were from the Hudson Valley, and more than 100 people came to watch, organizers said.

No arrests, problems

Town police reported no arrests or problems. Participants said they saw no uniformed police.

Four ministers -- three Unitarian and one from the United Church of Christ -- performed Saturday's ceremonies and signed paperwork supplied by the grassroots New Paltz Equality Initiative.

''Everything went very smoothly,'' James Fallarino, spokesman for the initiative, said. ''We're moving into a twice monthly set-up.''

Less frequent weddings will enable coordinators to give the couples more personal attention, he said.

Saturday represented the fifth wave of same-sex weddings in the village, where Mayor Jason West launched them Feb. 27. He is under a temporary court order not to officiate.

State laws bar same-sex couples from obtaining official licenses. West and his followers instead have issued simpler forms -- ''affidavits'' and ''contracts.''

The mayor and two Unitarian ministers who officiated March 6 face misdemeanor charges of solemnizing unlicensed marriages.

The equality initiative and allied groups are planning a community ''Civil Rights in the Park'' celebration to take place outside dormitories at the State University of New York at New Paltz. The party, a week from today, will coincide with a Kansas anti-homosexual group's pickets in the village.

Help pay for police overtime

Organizers said the party, with bands and refreshments, will help raise money to defray police overtime for monitoring the marriage protest.

The pickets are being led by the Rev. Fred Phelps, pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka.

''We decided to create a celebration in the community instead of meeting his hatred,'' Charles Clement, co-owner of the Victorian-style LeFevre House, said.

West and village Trustee Julia Walsh made appearances at Saturday's ceremonies, organizers said.

West article

Mayor Jason West is the subject of an article in today's edition of the New York Times Magazine. The article, ''Mayor With a Mission,'' looks at West's personal history and the attention and controversy generated by his decision to officiate at same-sex marriages in the village.