State Data on Same-Sex Weddings Outside New York City ALBANY - Much of the excitement over the approval of same-sex marriage in New York last year centered on New York City, home to a large gay community whose members flocked to city marriage bureaus starting last July. But statistics released by the state on Wednesday show that more than 2,300 same-sex couples have wed in other communities in the state since the Marriage Equality Act took effect. Of the same-sex couples who specified their gender, 1,393 were made up of two women, and 983 of two men, according to the State Health Department, which compiled the statistics. The same-sex marriages made up about 7 percent of the more than 34,000 unions that the state has recorded since July 24, the day gay men and lesbians were first allowed to marry. New York City tracks its licenses separately from the state, and did not have statistics available on Wednesday. The statistics probably underestimate the number of same-sex marriages, because recording the gender of the two people seeking a marriage license is optional on the forms used by clerks" offices around the state, and 20 percent of the licenses issued since last July did not specify the gender of the people getting married. Also, city and town clerks report marriage data to the state at varying speeds, meaning the statistics released on Wednesday do not account for some same-sex weddings that have taken place over the past month or two. The Legislature voted to legalize same-sex marriage last June. The vote, which came after a fierce lobbying campaign from advocates on both sides, made New York the sixth and largest state to legalize same-sex marriage. Since then, Washington State has legalized same-sex marriage, and Maryland and New Jersey are debating whether to do the same.