U.S. congressman marries same-sex partner
(CNN) - Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney tied the knot with his longtime partner, designer Randy Florke, Saturday night in New York.
"Even after 22 years together, we're overwhelmed by how blessed we feel to celebrate this special day with our friends and family,” the couple said in a statement.
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With their marriage, Maloney, 47, becomes the second member of Congress to legally wed his same-sex partner while in office. Former Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, became the first to do so in 2012.
Maloney, a Democrat who served as a senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and now represents the lower Hudson Valley region in New York, is the first openly gay congressman from the Empire State. Florke, 51, is a real estate and design executive in New York City for The Rural Connection, Inc., the company he founded in 1996.
Congressman gets engaged to same-sex partner
The couple were married at the Church of St. Mary-in-the-Highlands in Cold Spring, where they live with their children Reinel, 24, Daley, 13, and Essie, 11.
“With our three kids by our side, this couldn't have been a more perfect day. Thank you to all our friends near and far for their love and support as we continue to fight to ensure all families can experience the joys of a lifetime commitment,” they said.
Maloney isn’t the only current member of Congress in a same-sex marriage. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin, married his husband in Canada in 2006 and was elected to Congress in 2012.
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Congrats to the happy couple.
Congratulations to the both of you.
I'm hoping that Indiana passes gay marriage soon. I am anxious to marry my partner of 12 years in my home state.
Why is this headline news. isnt there bigger issues to cover?
The one thing I seriously do not understand, is why same sex couples think it is important to be married. Sometime, we need to hear the reasoning for that........other than the obvious tax benefits, etc. Surely there is something more to it, than just simple emotion.
Strange and very confused humans ? We are commanded to love them in the ( Bible ) ooops ? However you know the rest ?
May you both find happiness easily attainable throughout your lives. That being said, why does the news media in the nation insist on keeping stories like this in the daily headlines? Could their motives for doing so be somewhat nefarious? Wouldn't surprise many of us. They just can't resist the desire to sway voters, of whipsaw voters in one direction or the other.
Congrats!
@Chris-E...al: The Bible is filled with contradictions, because it was written and re-written for political purposes.
Chris-E...al – Strange and very confused humans ? We are commanded to love them in the ( Bible ) ooops ? However you know the rest ?
Given the fact that YOU don't know what urinals are supposed to be used for, why am I not surprised to see that you don't know the Constitution and its purpose?
It is always good to see wonderful news.
Sin is sin
Congratulations on your nuptials. Many happy years ahead for you both!
Guns Over People teatard heads explode nationwide.
that will make a lot of religous right hypocrits kick their wallet a city block before picking it up in front of Paul Cantor.
Me? Marry anybody? Perish the thought! Let no prospective spouse ever come closer to me than are the planets of Alpha Centauri. And even that's crowding it.
Congratulations to them both! a shame they had to wait over two decades to enjoy the same right as the rest of us. hopefully, that won't be the case for long. banning same-sex marriage makes about as much sense as banning the production and sale of left-handed scissors!
congrats but why should this be news ? because he is a congressman or because he is a democrat?
I'm hoping that's just a bad picture. One of the guys looks like the Joker.