Same Sex Wedding, First at the Fair
Mark Bruzee, at right, takes the ring from Rev. Linda Townsend to put on the finger of David Roche as the two men exchange wedding vows at the New York State Fair on Saturday morning.
(Mike Greenlar | mgreenlar@syracuse.com)
As Mark Bruzee and David Roche posed for photos together at the New York State Fair, a friend called out to them, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Gosh, I know," Bruzee shouted back. "We're really rushing into this!"
Bruzee and Roche have been together for 32 years and finally married on Saturday, in the first ever same-sex wedding at the NYS Fair.
"We'd been out of each other's pockets so long, we don't know it any different," said Roche, 54.
Between the State Park reflecting pool and the Horticulture Building, the wedding party dressed up white shirts with ties and boutonnieres representing each color of the rainbow pride flag.
For 32 years, Roche and Bruzee celebrated Sept. 21, 1981 as their anniversary, the day they committed to each other as a couple. Now they'll celebrate August 31, 2013.
Three state troopers guarded the section in front of the Horticulture Building at the New York State Fair, in case anyone came to protest the wedding, or heckle, but none did. The couple exchanged their vows in peace.
Passers-by stopped, took photos and applauded when the men kissed.
Friends and relatives joked about what song to sing after the ceremony. "Over the Rainbow?" No. "It's Raining Men?" No. They settled on "A Rainbow Connection," popularized by Kermit the Frog in "The Muppet Movie."
Linda Townsend of Auburn presided over the wedding, wearing a rainbow scarf over her black robes. The ceremony started at 10:30 a.m., ended by 10:45 a.m. and the wedding party dispersed to celebrate the day at the fair.
Supporters of same sex marriage celebrate in Albany as Senate members vote on legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in New York in 2011.
Victories have been snowballing for same-sex couples on the federal level, after New York passed the same-sex marriage bill in June 2011.
On Thursday, the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced it would recognize equal tax treatment for same-sex marriages, after the Supreme Court declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional in June.
This IRS announcement means same-sex married couples can now claim marriage-related tax exemptions, credits and deductions, even if they live in states that don't recognize same-sex unions.
"Everything seems to have folded into place at the right time," Bruzee said after the wedding. "We figured it out and said, 'Oh my god, we're gonna save so much money.' It's so great the way everything worked out."