(New York City) New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that Arizona-based internet companies Adoption Profiles and Adoption Media have stopped doing business in New York.

In a statement, Cuomo’s office said the companies “have ceased doing business in New York effective immediately as a result of the Attorney General’s investigation into the companies’ discriminatory policies, procedures and practices.”

“New York Attorney General Cuomo has sent a clear message to all businesses that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation will not be tolerated,” said Flor Bermudez, Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal. 

“Companies can’t come into New York and hang a sign on their door saying ‘Same-sex couples need not apply.’”

Rosario Gennaro and Alexander Gardner knew for a long time that they wanted to have children and that adoption was the way to make it possible.

The couple had a home study by a licensed social worker and obtained Certification as Qualified Adoptive Parents from the New York City Surrogate Court.

The couple wanted to use the services of these companies to post their profile on ParentProfiles.com and seek a match with a birth parent.

However, the website’s eligibility requirements only allow a “Qualifying Husband and Wife Couple” to use the service. This results in discrimination against same-sex couples on the basis of sexual orientation, sex and marital status, said Lambda Legal which represents Gennaro and Gardner.

“We are thrilled that the New York Attorney General’s office made the right decision and that no couple will have to experience what we did in our effort to become parents,” said Gennaro in a statement.

The agency charges a fee for permitting prospective adoptive parents to post internet profiles, which are then viewed by birth mothers seeking to place their children for adoption.

In addition to its profiling service for parents seeking to adopt, Adoption.com lists profiles of foster children who need adoptive homes.

In 2007, the companies settled out of court a lawsuit brought by a San Jose, California same-sex couple.

Michael and Rich Butler alleged the company violated California non-discrimination law.

The company argued that because it is based in Arizona and the business was on the internet the company did have to comply with California anti-discrimination laws.

A federal court judge in San Francisco rejected the company argument and ruled that the lawsuit could proceed.