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Legalize Them!

Huppah Dreams

by
Marc Tracy
July 25, 2011
John Feinblatt (L) and Jonathan Mintz (R).(NYT)
John Feinblatt (L) and Jonathan Mintz (R).(NYT)

Each Monday, we choose the most interestingly Jewish announcement from that Sunday’s New York Times Weddings & Celebrations section. There’s a temptation to break our rules and honor Phyllis Siegal and Connie Kopelov, who yesterday became the first same-sex couple to be civilly wed in New York City. But now that LGBT people are for the most part included in the state’s definition of “normal,” it paradoxically feels appropriate to do the same thing we do every other week. And it turns out that this week’s stand-out nuptials announcement is that of another Jewish same-sex couple, John Feinblatt and Jonathan Mintz, who were married—yes, married—last night by their boss, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, at Gracie Mansion. The former is Hizzoner’s chief adviser on policy and strategic planning, the latter the city’s Consumer Affairs commissioner. (If you don’t believe me that this was the most Jewish wedding of the week, well, an additional report notes that the guests were regaled by Joel Grey. Checkmate.)

And to think! One day, once all 50 states have marriage equality (and if you think that day won’t come, name your sum), the Times can go back to calling it, simply, “Weddings.” Til then, mazel tov to the happy couple!

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.