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The Five Gayest Places to Get Married in New York City

June 27, 2011 at 9:30 AM | by | Comments (0)

Where were you on Friday night when the Same-Sex Marriage Law passed in the New York State Senate? We were in the melee that was New York City when something amazing happens, as locals poured into the street, honked their car horns and threw spontaneous parties, regardless of sexual orientation, to celebrate another step in the fight for equality.

It's been a whirlwind weekend with the news and the Pride Parade all rolled into one, but this excitement is nothing compared to what will happen less than 30 days from now, when the law Governor Cuomo signed takes effect and gay couples can hold in their hands their marriage license.

Now everyone can be hitched in New York City, and maybe even choose one of these Five Gayest Places in New York to Get Married:

· The top of the Empire State Building while it is lit up in rainbow colors.
When the law passed on Friday night, the skies above Manhattan were low and foggy. But, standing around 34th Street and looking up, you could just barely make out the the rainbow lights of the top of the Empire State Building. This was special for Pride weekend, and the timing couldn't have been better.

If you'd like to get married while the lights are rainbow, you can follow the nightly lighting updates here, or simply pay for the privilege. It costs only $1, but there's no guarantee your plea will be accepted after submitting this application. The building itself has to get something out of it—whether that's publicity or a crapload more money in donation.

· The reviewing stand at the NYC Pride Parade.
Oooh—you just missed it! The NYC Pride Parade went down yesterday, but it'll be back again next year in June. Doubtless many couples got engaged at this year's parade, so maybe next year will be the time when a few choose to make it official in front of the sparkly floats and bare-chested throngs.

The March begins at 36th Street and 5th Avenue, until it turns at the reviewing stand (at 5th Avenue and 8th Street) before completing at Christopher and Greenwich Streets. Find out more information at Pride Week's official site.

· Inside the West Village's Stonewall Inn.
Go back to where it all started. In 1969, police raided this restaurant bar and arrested 13 people. For what? Seemingly for being gay, and the outcry was immediate. The movement led to gay bars being legalized, and pretty much birthed most LGBT equality struggles, including same-sex marriage.

The Stonewall Inn serves as a pilgrimage destination, and received designation as a National Historic Landmark in 2000. Get married here, and we recommend heading down to the Christopher Street Pier on the Hudson River for your formal photos.

· Madison Square Garden during a Lady Gaga Concert.
When the positive decision on the same-sex marriage law was announced, Lady Gaga tweeted that she couldn't stop crying out of joy. Gaga is one of the most prominent pop culture icons championing equality right now, and we don't see how she could say no to officiating at a ceremony.

We can even picture it now: Madison Square Garden, packed to the hilt with screaming fans. Gaga is most of the way done with her concert and the lights go out. A spotlight comes on over the stage, highlighting a couple. Gaga, dressed in some of her Judas garb or pure white, walks up to the couple and marries them in a surprise ceremony that sends the crowd into thrilled hysterics and international media into a tizzy for coverage. Amazing. We'll see you at the after-party.

· The Gay Liberation Monument in Christopher Park.
Fancy an alfresco ceremony? This would be an ideal place, seeing as how it's across the street from The Stonewall Inn (see above) for easy catering and after-hours celebrating. Alas, don't forget the focus of this spot is the white statue of a pair of men and a pair of women in casual positions, created by artist George Segal. It's currently the only monument to the LGBT cause in NYC, and it's recently been spruced up.

The monument has been here since 1992 and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. If anything, it's bound to get even more famous at least as a spot for wedding photographs.

[Photos: ESB NYC, Wikimedia, Metromix, Kramchang, Flickr/resedabear]

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