Gay New York Couple Becomes First to Marry in State Prison

Last spring New York legalized same-sex marriage, which allowed thousands of gay and lesbian couples finally to tie the knot. Earlier this week, in another landmark event, an inmate at the Auburn Correctional Facility and his boyfriend became the state's first gay couple to marry in a prison, the Auburn Pub reported in a Dec. 13 article.

Inmate Ronald Cook, 31, married Marc Rodriguez, a former Auburn inmate, in a civil ceremony. The couple has been together since 2002 when they first met in the Auburn prison, which is located in the small city of Auburn, N.Y., the capital of Cayuga County, an isolated area Upstate. The closest cities are Rochester and Buffalo.

"(Cook) was the water porter in our company," Rodriguez told the newspaper. "I said something smart to him because he didn't give me any water. He said, 'Did you just say something smart to me?' And we've been best friends ever since."

Their relationship started slowly since Cook had never been in a gay relationship before and Rodriguez had been out since he was 12.

The couple spent most of their free time together and would exchange notes between their cells when they couldn't physically be with each other.

"Sometimes it's hard to maintain because you've got to keep it hidden," Rodriguez said. "The officers have comments, but that goes with the territory of being gay."

Rodriguez was in prison for robbery but was released in 2004. Instead of moving back to the Bronx, he decided to move to Syracuse so he could be closer to his boyfriend.

The couple discussed marriage before but it didn't become a reality until last spring when New York officially legalized same-sex marriage.

They were married on Dec. 12 but the day before, Rodriguez was involved in a car accident. Nevertheless, he still showed up despite having gruesome stitches on his nose and forehead.

Ray Lockwood, the justice of the peace, married the two men. He said it was his first same-sex wedding.

"It was just business as usual," Lockwood said. "I performed it like I would anyone else. ... They wanted it done and I was glad to do it for them."

State officials say that this is the first time a same-sex couple has been married in prison. State regulations do not allow marriages between two prisoners -- straight or gay. An inmate, however, is allowed to marry a civilian. In addition, the couple will have the same rights to conjugal visits as other married couples.

Rodriguez visits Cook once a week. Cook, who has been in prison for 12 years, is currently serving a 25-to-50 year sentence for rape and other sex crimes he says he did not commit.

"It's hard, but I fight it every day because he has my heart," Rodriguez said. "If you really love a person, it's through thick and thin, no matter what."

California is the only other state that allows same-sex conjugal visits, which was legalized in June 2007. Couples have to be registered as domestic partners who have been established before the prisoner was incarcerated.