06/14/2009
New York City Clerk Inadvertently Marries Same-Sex Couple
Hakim Nelson and Jason Stenson were married on May 26 by the City of New York via a series of misunderstandings:
Nelson -- who goes by the name 'Kimah' and hopes to one day have
surgery to become a 'full female' -- wore an orange dress and white
leggings, his straight, brown hair falling to his shoulders. The gullible clerk didn't seem to notice that both Nelson, 18, and Stenson, 21, have male first names. They both had to present identification to obtain the license.
Stenson used his state ID card, and Nelson gave a state Benefit Card,
which he uses to collect food stamps. By a fluke, Nelson's ID card has an 'F' for female on it, because
the official who issued it in April assumed from his appearance that he
was a woman...Ten days after obtaining their license, the wedding crashers returned
to the office for the ceremony. They were clutching their license and a
pair of $10 silver wedding rings they had bought in the West Village...Then a third city official, Blanca Martinez, took their IDs and the
license. She printed out the marriage certificate and performed the
quick ceremony, pausing to ask Nelson whether she was pronouncing
"Hakim" properly. A friend served as a witness."
The City Clerk's office says the marriage is not valid.
Posted 5:54 PM EST by Andy Towle in Gay Marriage, New York, News |
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what a cute couple! :)
Posted by: Eric | Jun 14, 2009 6:04:16 PM
Aww; so cute too.
At least the story highlights the silliness of gender-restricting marriage - people are just people, and we cannot even always tell genders apart if you blur a few visual conventions!
Posted by: PM | Jun 14, 2009 6:18:50 PM
The City Clerk office says the marriage is not valid, after city officials performed it? I don't think so. It's valid. The couple has the legal paperwork to prove it.
I still can't believe this is how far the human race has come: that people (and outdated religions) think the world is coming to an end because two people of the same gender want to get legally married.
Really? I thought there were more pressing issues out there in the world like, oh...I don't know, maybe global warming which could wipe out all life on the planet? Let's really do something about that.
Instead, as a human race, we're insistent upon making gays and lesbian 2nd class citizens because some group has to be, and not everyone can have equal rights.
Posted by: Scott | Jun 14, 2009 6:43:56 PM
actually since she is transgender and pre-op they are not the same gender so the point is pretty moot, unless NY has a state law against it. Right?
Posted by: ZnSD | Jun 14, 2009 7:14:30 PM
Ditto on the cute couple comments.
Posted by: Chitown Kev | Jun 14, 2009 8:54:04 PM
Jason's smile says it all.
Ditto Scott, et al.
Posted by: David R. | Jun 14, 2009 9:08:45 PM
While this is amusing, how does it help us? It's just going to be one more thing that will be used against same-sex couples (who are both gay and not transitioning) fighting for the right to be legally married. Good for you for fooling the "gullible" but to what end?
Posted by: hlc | Jun 14, 2009 9:17:35 PM
Hi Andy: Just because the Post identifies Kimah as a man doesn't mean you should be ... from the limited info we've got, it seems pretty clear that Kimah is trans, so they are not in fact a same-sex couple. You should revise the post accordingly.
Posted by: [dave] | Jun 14, 2009 10:06:54 PM
And the world didn't end....
Posted by: Derek Washington | Jun 14, 2009 10:23:36 PM
Dave, in fact, since Kimah is pre-op, they are still technically same-sex if not same gender.
Posted by: Zeke | Jun 14, 2009 11:11:48 PM
See, New York? It wasn't that difficult! :)
Posted by: Peter | Jun 14, 2009 11:40:12 PM
Hey {Dave}I guess Andy wanted it to be a white couple, Then maybe he would have addressed her correctly...Like UMMMMMM Chaz..
LORD Gays really need to move on beyond this race issue.
Posted by: Yes I am Chris | Jun 14, 2009 11:46:42 PM
You know what, I expect this crap from the NY Post, but it's really disgusting to see a gay blog so eager to throw trans people under the bus for their pet issue.
This is NOT a case of a same sex couple fooling the government. This is a case of a transwoman and her partner being discriminated against, and you are participating in that discrimination.
Posted by: Grace | Jun 15, 2009 2:10:56 AM
This feels illegal to me. One, I don't believe Kimah has legally classified herself as a transgender, so in the eyes of the law they are both male, meaning that this is a same-sex marriage, which is illegal in New York. Two, yes, a marriage was performed, but because Kimah is legally male, what happened here was a long string of cons and tricks. Third, Jason and Kimah are so young and already on food stamps and welfare, which makes this seem, to me at least, like another attempt to unload some financial burden through the breaks and opportunities available to married couples. If these two did all of this knowing and willingly, it's...fraud, and they may go to prison for it. This isn't discrimination so much as it is cheating. If Kimah had just properly registered herself as a trans woman instead of just going along with the mistake on the Benefit Card, this wouldn't be news, and the two would be happily, legally married.
Posted by: Gonna get blasted for this... | Jun 15, 2009 3:35:52 AM
Regardless honey it's not illegal!
Posted by: Yes I am Chris | Jun 15, 2009 6:57:51 AM
Zeke, operative status does't have anything to do with one's sex or gender. Kimah is a woman. If the state of New York doesn't have a legal means of recognizing it is irrelevant to the basic facts of her life. Are you a male because your legal documents say so or because you are? Why should Kimah be any different.
This article needs to get her pronouns straight and honestly, Towelroad needs to either learn the standard that even the Associated Press uses for trans people (use their chosen identity and the associated pronouns) or just stop reporting on trans issues altogether.
Posted by: Alleyne | Jun 15, 2009 8:31:48 AM
I realise the standard on this site is to copy-past stuff out of articles. But would it really have been that hard to fix the pronouns?
Posted by: Stephen | Jun 15, 2009 9:46:37 AM
ANDY, I kind of agree with the critiques of your article here... in this case the gender pronouns are not nitpicking but central to the issue.
What seems to have happened is that NY performed a heterosexual marriage! Then when it discovered one spouse is not fully transitioned, is saying it's illegal. This is trans-discrimination.
@HLC: I think it DOES help us. It shows how ridiculous the restrictions are in marriage, when these 2 people love each other, and due to a few visual clues, no one can accurately aprse their genders anyway! Plus, in the end, they GOT MARRIED LEGALLY.
Cheers to the bride and groom!
Posted by: Strepsi | Jun 15, 2009 9:54:40 AM
Right now they are gay. All right, then ask a homophobe (black or white) what they are. Happy Pride Month!
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Jun 15, 2009 10:00:04 AM
Retraction!
didn't read the article well. They don't consider themselves gay, so they're not. Sometimes, I wonder am I....or just a mistake of nature. I certain that I am a Democrat--a little disappointed right now. Is that a mistake of nature?
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Jun 15, 2009 1:25:57 PM
Eh, I don't care if they're a same-sex or "opposite" couple. I just hope they're happy and have a nice life. That's all that matters.
p.s. If Hakim is trans, it is so a legal marriage.
Posted by: Wheezy | Jun 15, 2009 10:57:57 PM
If Kimah were marrying a woman, she would be just as criticized for "duping" the state. What it comes down to is that transpeople cannot marry anyone today, securely at least. How sad is that?
Posted by: blickblocks | Jun 17, 2009 2:49:59 PM