equal rites

City Apologizes to Transgender Couple Over Wedding Flap

Jalea Lamot and LaShawn Peterson are an opposite-sex couple (both transgendered) allowed to get married under New York State law. But when they turned up at a city clerk’s office in 2009 after fourteen years of being in a relationship, they were subjected to extra scrutiny by the Bronx administrator who handled their paperwork. The clerk demanded to see their birth certificates, even though a driver’s license is suitable identification to receive a marriage certificate. Last month, according to the Post, City Clerk Michael McSweeney sent out an officewide memo ordering his staff to treat all marriage applicants with dignity and respect, regardless of appearance. Last week, he followed up with an apology directly to Peterson and Lamot: “We sincerely apologize to you both for any inconvenience or embarrassment that resulted from this incident.”

City sorry over snub of transgender nups [NYP]
Related: Transgender Not a Wedding Loophole [NYM]

City Apologizes to Transgender Couple Over Wedding Flap