NYC Offices To Open On A Sunday For Gay Marriage

City Clerk grapples with marriage equality bill that goes into effect July 24 in state

NEW YORK — New York City Clerk's offices will be open on Sunday, July 24, to accommodate gay couples wishing to marry on the first day the marriage equality bill takes effect in New York, city officials announced Tuesday.

Additionally, clerk's offices will extend hours the week before the law takes effect in anticipation of an increase in applications for marriage licenses and civil ceremonies, Mayor Bloomberg's office said in a statement.

On July 24, the first day gay marriage ceremonies can take place, clerk's offices will be open in all five boroughs, the statement said. The offices would normally be closed for the weekend.

"This is a historic moment for New York, a moment many couples have waited years and even decades to see — and we are not going to make them wait one day longer than they have to,” said Mayor Bloomberg.

Gay marriage became legal in New York on June 24. The state is home to an estimated 42,000 same-sex couples.

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