Another NY Town Joins Gay Marriage Battle

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York city of Ithaca on Tuesday received seven marriage applications from same-sex couples and said it would forward them to state officials, a move that could open the way for gays to sue if denied marriage licenses.
Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson said on Monday she would press state health officials to decide whether to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, spawning inquiries and applications at the city clerk's office.
While applications trickled in, questions about the process have poured in from around the state from interested gay and lesbian couples, said City Clerk Julie Conley Holcomb. The town, home to Ivy League college Cornell University, stepped into the fray just days after the mayor of New Paltz, New York, began marrying same-sex couples in the first such ceremonies in the state.