New York State Legalizes Gay Marriage

The Empire State is set to become a magnet for gay couples seeking to tie the knot.

New York state legalized gay marriage on Friday night, making it the sixth US state to pass such a bill, and the largest by far. In a down-to -the-wire vote, New York's Republican-controlled senate narrowly passed the marriage equality measure 33 to 29 after two previously undecided Republican senators gave their OK to the proposed law. Gay couples will be able to marry 30 days after the bill is signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Unlike Massachusetts, which in 2004 became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage, New York has no residency requirement to obtain a marriage license, making it a likely magnet for gay couples across the country to tie the knot.