By Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Gay and lesbian New Yorkers who choose to register domestic partnerships with the city can soon enjoy a marriage-like ceremony courtesy of City Hall, the New York Daily News reported.
Currently, domestic partners receive nothing more than a slip of paper, signifying their registration, the paper noted.
"Sounds like a small step in the right direction," Joseph Hagelmann, president of the Stonewall Democratic Club in Manhattan, told the News. "But we're not going to be happy until we have full marriage equality."
Same-sex couples made up thirty percent of the 5,534 couples who registered as domestic partners with the city last year, the News reported.
The city has been registering domestic partners for 17 years. Civil services will be offered at the city clerk's five borough offices, including the recently $12 million Manhattan marriage office at 141 Worth St.
City Councilmember James Van Bramer said the change, which goes into effect June 3, "is a good gesture," in light of last year's rejection of a gay marriage law by the State Senate.
"Not everyone is going to want a ceremony, but if they do they should be able to have it," Van Bramer said, according to the News.
In addition to the new ceremony, domestic partners will continue to receive tenancy rights for city housing, spouse-like confidentiality privileges, and, if a member of the couple works for the city, the benefits enjoyed by married partners, the News said.
