The New York City Board of Health voted on Tuesday to change their policy on birth certificates. Starting immediately, married lesbian couples in New York City will now be able to be listed as parents on birth certificates from their children’s births. The Washington Blade reports:

“Married lesbian couples in New York City can now be listed as parents on birth certificates as soon as their children are born. Before, the women would have to go through an adoption process to be listed as the official parents. The city Board of Health voted Tuesday to make the change… The city says married male couples still will need to adopt their children in order to be officially declared their parents.”

While I get the reality of the situation is that it’s possibly for one of the lesbians in a couple to be the biological mother, I’m not sure I’m wild about any policies that codify different treatment for anyone under the law.

That said, this seems like a really great step for gay families in New York. And while it’s only applicable now for couples who marry elsewhere and then move to New York, with New York elected officials like Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer flipping to support marriage, I’m hopeful that it will soon matter for many more.