Midnight Same-Sex Marriages in New York Live

As the clock struck midnight, couples joined in matrimony. Same sex couples, that is. They have waited years and in some cases, decades to make their union legal. Midnight, Sunday morning EST, the first couples were wed. Gay-rights activists Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd were legally wed at Niagara Falls. The Falls were lit as the first couples to unite as one joined hands. Several other same-sex couples married at the same ceremony. Weddings across the state of New York were being held at Midnight as the state became the sixth in the Union to accept same-sex marriages. Lambert and Rudd, both grandmothers, have been waiting more than a decade for the right to be married. Mayor Paul Dyster presided over the ceremony. In Albany, the state capital, Mayor Jerry Jennings performed marriages in the Common Council’s Chambers. The 24-hour waiting period between the issue of a marriage license and the ceremony, was waved by a Supreme Court Judge. Jennings estimated that many ceremonies would occur in the following days. Anti-same-sex marriage groups staged protests in all areas expecting couples to tie the knot. Nothing could dissuade the brides and grooms from their destiny. Walking past demonstrators, several couples tied the knot at 12:01. Many more are expected. Several couples are from outside New York. They traveled, not only to be united, but to be joined in the latest state to adopt same-sex marriage. For more details please click here >>>