County in New York recognizes same-sex marriages

Westchester County in New York will recognize same-sex marriages performed in states and countries that allow them under an executive order signed on Wednesday night by county executive Andrew Spano. The order makes Westchester the first county in the state to recognize same-sex marriages, the Associated Press reports.

Spano received a standing ovation as he read the order on Wednesday night at a meeting of gay groups. The effect of the order is to give married gay couples the same county privileges as heterosexual couples, such as the right to buy family passes to county parks and the right to seek emergency housing as a family. "I don't see why people, just because they're the same sex, shouldn't have the same benefits," Spano told the AP on Thursday.

The order does not require towns and villages within the county to recognize the marriages, and it does not help same-sex couples obtain state or federal privileges. It applies only to couples who were married in a state or country where same-gender marriages are legally performed. (The Advocate)

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