Same-Sex Marriage Begins in TOBAY

After 32 years together, it only took $40 and a few minutes for Marcos Delgado and Dale Turnipseed to make history.

The Muttontown residents became the first same sex couple ever to apply for a marriage license in the Town of Oyster Bay Monday morning.

Delgado, 59, and Turnipseed, 52, showed up together about 15 minutes before the Oyster Bay Town Clerk's office in Oyster Bay opened at 9 a.m., only to be told that they'd have to come back.

They didn't get cold feet.

The couple returned with their $40 license fee and filled out their application. Applications were also available at in Massapequa.

"Why not?" Turnipseed replied nonchalantly, when asked why the couple was finally taking the plunge.

They met decades ago as graduate students. Turnipseed attended Columbia University and Delgado was a student at Manhattan school of music.

Delgado said they'd been together for 33 years, but his long-time companion corrected him saying, "Thirty-two years."

Both men wore plaid dress shirts and docker pants to the clerks office and appeared quite happy with their decision.

But they said that signing a piece of paper wasn't necessary to seal their bond.

"For us it's not really a validation of our relationship," Delgado said. "It's about the legal issues involved. Hopefully it'll be significant someday in terms of taxes and inheritance."

Last year, the Town of Oyster Bay issued 1,162 marriages licenses and performed 130 civil ceremonies, according to a town spokeswoman.

As of 3 p.m. Monday four couples had applied for licenses.

Some same sex marriages were performed on Sunday, including one in

There is a 24 hour waiting period between the time you get your license and when you can actually get married. 

But that's OK with Delgado and Turnipseed, they haven't discussed when they're going to have the big day.

"We haven't decided yet," Turnipseed "No date, it's just the idea that we can do it now."

New York became the sixth state to allow same sex marriage last month and there's already been a challenge to the new law which took effect Sunday.

A group opposing same sex marriage filed a lawsuit Monday, according to the Associated Press. The suit claims the state Senate violated their own procedures and New York's open meetings law in passing the measure.

Concerns about how long same sex marriage might be legal pushed Delgado and Turnipseed to act quickly.

"The reason we did it today is because of the fears of this turning out like in California," Delgado said. "There was a window, and then it closed."

A court decision in California allowed same sex marriage there for several months, before it was outlawed by Proposition Eight.

The couple were actually taken aback that they were the only ones who had came for license when the Town Clerk's office opened

"Yes, absolutely, we were surprised," Turnipseed said. "We were expecting a lot of people."

They may have been responsible for a Town of Oyster Bay first, but it doesn't represent a big deal for the couple.

"We feel the same," Delgado said.