NEWS FLASH

Same-Sex Marriage Keeps Chapel Open | The expansion of marriage to gays and lesbians has prevented at least one chapel from going out of business, the Times Herald Record reports. Paul Joffe purchased Celebration Chapel in Kingston, New York in 2005 in hopes that the legislature would pass marriage equality and he could open the venue to serve the LGBT community. But progress took longer than expected and after six years, “he put the chapel up for sale” and “almost lost all hope.” Fortunately, the legislature pushed through the measure in the summer of 2011, just before he sold the space, and — after taking down all the ‘for sale’ signs — Joffe opened the chapel on the first legal day of same-sex marriage, July 24, 2011. Since then, he’s received “three to five inquiries a week” and is “taking bookings a year in advance.” New York estimates that there have been at least 2,376 same-sex marriages in state since July 24.