Marriages in New York have risen by 33 per cent since equal
marriage laws were passed in the state last month.
It is estimated that 1,400 gay couples have tied the knot since
July 24, according to information obtained by the New York
Post.
August is the city's busiest month for marriage, but the jump
from an average 4,200 marriage licences the past three years to
5,587 licences this year, is widely presumed to be down to gay
marriage.
However it is not known for certain how many of the 5,587
licences issued were for gay couples as the officials removed the
gender requirement from the application.
Gay and lesbian New York couples queued up around the city
to marry the day the law passed and have continued to marry in
large numbers over the past month.
The first couple married on the day gay marriage became legal in
New York were Phyllis Siegel, 77, and Connie Kopelov, 85. The
couple had been together for 23 years.
