unsure. A 2016 Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll found a 66% majority in favor of same-sex marriage. 25% were opposed and 9% were unsure or undecided. In 2017, the PRRI found that 69% of New Yorkers supported same-sex marriage, while 24% were opposed and 7% were undecided. Timeline February 26, 2004: Jason West, mayor of the village of New Paltz, announces that the village would start performing same-sex civil weddings. Although the village would not attempt to issue licenses for such weddings, couples in New York State have six months from the wedding to seek such a license, and weddings are not invalid solely for not having a license. February 27, 2004: John Shields, the Mayor of Nyack, New York, announces that his village would recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. March 2, 2004: West is charged with 19 misdemeanor counts of "solemnizing marriages without a license" by Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams. West announces that he intends to continue performing same-sex marriage ceremonies. March 3, 2004: Shields announces that he will begin officiating at same-sex marriages, and that he and his fiancé would join other gay and lesbian New Yorkers in seeking marriage licenses from municipal clerks' offices. March 3, 2004: The Office of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer issues an "informal opinion" that clerks should not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples as the State Legislature had not intended same-sex marriages to be covered by the Domestic Relations Law. The same opinion states that same-sex marriages performed elsewhere were recognizable in New York State under a recent judicial decision recognizing the validity of a Vermont civil union as granting the benefits of marriage, Langan v. St. Vincent's Hospital (later overturned). March 5, 2004: New York State Judge Vincent Bradley issues a temporary restraining order barring West from performing any such ceremonies for a month. West indicates that he will abide by the judicial order while evaluating his legal options. March 22, 2004: Following an opinion requested in January from their attorney, the Rochester City Council announces that Rochester will recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. Rochester is across Lake Ontario from Toronto, where same-sex marriages have been legal since 2003. October 8, 2004: The state comptroller, Alan G. Hevesi, indicated in a letter to a state employee that the state retirement system will recognize same-sex marriages contracted elsewhere for the purposes of retirement benefits for New York