First gay marriage memorialized at Niagara Falls State Park
Following the court decision, the New York State Assembly passed same-sex marriage legislation in , , and The New York Senate rejected the legislation in a 38–24 vote on December 2, In June , same-sex marriage legislation passed the House and the Senate, and was signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on June 24, NEW YORK — Buoyant gay couples cheered by supporters began marrying Sunday on the landmark day that New York became the sixth and largest state to recognize same-sex weddings and provided fresh energy to the national gay rights movement. Couples began exchanging vows at midnight from Niagara Falls to Long Island, though the center of the action was in New York City, where officials expected to host hundreds of same-sex weddings throughout the day. It’s official
First Same-Sex Marriage in NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Marriage Equality Act in June When the Act went into efect on July 24, , New York became the sixth state to recognize same-sex marriage. A new interpretive sign at Niagara Falls State Park commemorates this watershed moment. When the Act went into effect on July 24th, New York became the sixth state to recognize same-sex marriage. 
Same
“Marriage equality is alive and well,” New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the body’s first openly gay leader, said in a press briefing outside the clerk’s office. In February , Jay Blotcher and Brook Garrett were determined to be married, and they were willing to shop around for laws in different states to do it. Massachusetts became the first state to recognize gay marriage that year, but not until May, and there was a significant effort by some states, endorsed by then-President George W.
New Sign Marks First Same
While Lambert and Rudd go down in history as the first same-sex couple wed in New York -- the largest U.S. state to date to offer equal marriage rights to gay couples -- the ceremony merely. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Kitty Lambert above, right , a prominent LGBT activist from Buffalo, and her partner of over a decade, Cheryle Rudd, stood in front of him as their friends and family looked on.
First Gay Weddings in New York
On July 24, , Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd became the first same-sex couple in the state to wed under New York’s Marriage Equality Act. . First Same
The law took effect July 24 and, at the stroke of midnight, the Lambert-Rudds were married on Luna Island by then Niagara Falls mayor Paul Dyster, becoming the first legally married LGBTQ+ couple. . 
Celebrating New York State’s First Legal Same
Twenty years ago, 27 LGBTQ+ couples met at a park in New Paltz, New York to do two things: get married, and break the law. The act of civil disobedience tested New York’s marriage laws at a time. .
After Long Wait, Same
New York’s adoption of legal same-sex marriage is viewed as a pivotal moment in the national gay rights movement and was expected to galvanize supporters and opponents alike. .