Longtime Pair Becomes First Same-Sex Couple to Wed in Queens

A long-time Astoria pair became the first same-sex couple to tie the knot in Queens on Sunday morning.

A few couples were trickled into Borough Hall as early as 8 a.m. on Sunday, after earning their spot through .

Gregory Levine, 32, a math teacher, and Shane Serkiz, 33, a special education teacher, were officially wed around 9 a.m. before Queens Supreme Court Judge Sidney Strauss.

The couple, who were selected first to be married at the City Clerk’s Office in Queens Borough Hall on Sunday, has been engaged since 1999.

“I got down on one knee and said, ‘Shane, will you marry me?’” Levine said of proposing to Serkiz more than a decade ago. “And he said ‘yes’ without the blink of an eye.’”

He said the ceremony at Kew Gardens’ Borough Hall "validated" their relationship.

Beth Levine, Gregory’s mother, said the couple would host a reception on Oct. 16.

“They discussed getting married about 10 years ago when there was first talk of it in New York State,” she said. “The minute this passed, they wanted to be among the first, just in case Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg decides to rescind the law.”

The couple, who were dressed in casual attire, met 14 years ago through friends at Binghamton University.

Strauss said he was excited to officiate at the day’s ceremonies.

“First of all, it’s part of history,” the judge said. “And, second of all, this is one of the best parts of the job.”

A total 764 same-sex and opposite-sex couples were selected as part of a lottery that would allow them to get married in the city’s five borough halls.

Only 91 Queens couples applied for the 112 available spots to marry at Borough Hall on Sunday, said Mark Botnick, a spokesman for the mayor. The borough’s remaining slots went to Manhattan couples.

The City Clerk’s Office, located at 120-55 Queens Blvd., Ground Floor, Room XOO1 in Kew Gardens, will offer extended hours Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to perform ceremonies.

To get married, couples must submit an application to the City Clerk online in advance and receive a marriage license at the agency’s office before they can legally wed.

Once a couple completes the application, they should bring their confirmation number to the City Clerk’s office.

The clerk’s office can perform a civil marriage, but the law requires a 24-hour waiting period, unless a couple has obtained a judicial waiver.

Each couple will need at least one witness, age 18 or older, to attend the ceremony.

All couples must bring government-issued identification, including a driver’s license, active United States military identification card, passport, certificate of naturalization or alien registration card.