? Westchester County will officially recognize same-sex marriages effective immediately.

County Executive Andy Spano (D-Westchester) made the announcement Wednesday at a town hall meeting in White Plains. The measure will apply to couples that are married outside of New York, where it is legal. Spano says his order means all married couples will have the same privileges, regardless of sexual orientation. The county already extends health benefits to domestic partners of county employees. Spano?s measure does not force private employers to follow suit.

Gay couples like Yonkers residents Michael Sabatino and Robert Voorheis were married in Canada in 2003 and say they deserve the same rights, since they pay the same taxes and live in the same area as heterosexual couples.