Local Couple Will Discuss Same-Sex Marriage

Toshav and Philip Storrs, two Ithaca men who have challenged the state of New York for recognition as marriage partners, will speak on "Same-Sex Marriage: The Time Has Come" on Tuesday, April 10. The talk, which is free and open to the public, will start at 7:30 p.m. in Emerson Suite C, Phillips Hall.

The two men began their attempt to get married in New York State in 1995, after they had gone through a commitment ceremony and Toshav had legally changed his name from Greene to Storrs. Their request for a marriage license with the City of Ithaca was denied; even though Ithaca’s Common Council had passed a resolution urging the state to allow same-sex marriages, city attorneys ultimately determined Ithaca had no authority to issue the license.

The two then filed a lawsuit, asking for the right to marry. The trial court ruled against them, and an appellate court dismissed their appeal. They have since been joined in a civil union in Vermont, where same-sex unions are legal, and the Storrses are now trying to find a way to have that union legally recognized in New York.

The bill to legalize same-sex unions in Vermont was based on a state supreme court decision that declared it unconstitutional for people in same-sex relationships to be denied legal benefits available to partners in heterosexual marriages.

Those benefits include Social Security, adoption rights, immigration rights, and shared medical insurance.

A same-sex marriage bill was introduced into the New York State senate by Thomas Duane, who represents a district in Manhattan. Legislatures in Maryland and Wisconsin are also considering same-sex marriage bills.

The talk by the Storrses is sponsored by the College’s Diversity Awareness Committee and the student organizations BiGAYLA and Created Equal. For more infor-mation contact Andrea Muller ’03, copresident of Created Equal, at 375-5723.