New York's Governor David Paterson has instructed state agencies to immediately change their policies and recognise gay couples who wed in other jurisdictions. The move comes after California issued a directive last Wednesday authorizing 17 June as the first date gays and lesbians could legally wed there. Many of the state, but not federal, benefits of marriage would be available to New York gay couples that wed in other states or countries, the memo from the governor's counsel says. Agencies have until the end of June to work out the logistics. For more on this story, including a detailed analysis of the ripple effects of last week's California decision felt in other states, see the Washington Blade website, linked below.