Gay rights supporters chanted and danced in the streets of New York City into pre-dawn hours as news spread that the Republican-controlled chamber had narrowly approved the “Marriage Equality Act” in the state where the gay rights movement began 40 years ago.
Activists expressed hope the decision will galvanise the national gay rights movement after a series of setbacks.
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the measure into law on Friday just before midnight, making New York the sixth and largest state where gay couples can legally wed once the bill takes effect in 30 days.
Cheers erupted in the senate galleries in state capital Albany when legislators voted 33-29 to approve the measure after weeks of intense wrangling. The 29 Democratic senators were joined by four Republicans, one more than the minimum needed for approval.
US President Barack Obama visited New York a day before the vote, speaking at a fundraising gala sponsored by the gay and lesbian community, and while he did not explicitly endorse the bid to pass a gay marriage law, his appearance was seen as a shot in the arm for the movement.
Crowds of people gathered to hug, dance and cheer outside the Stonewall Inn, in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, where riots broke out on June 28 1969 after police raided the gay-friendly bar. The incident is seen as the birth of the modern gay rights movement.
“I’m ecstatic! I was waiting 30 years for that moment,” said Frank Frederick, a 52-year-old doorman outside one of the bars near the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street. — AFP
