Midnight vows make NY largest gay-marriage state

Several gay couples have become the first to legally wed in New York, the largest state to sanction same-sex marriage.

Gay-rights activists Kitty Lambert and Cheryle (SHEH'-ruhl) Rudd were declared married in Niagara Falls just past the stroke of midnight on Saturday, joining other couples across the state.

The early Sunday marriages mark a pivotal moment in the national drive for recognition.

New York is the sixth state to allow same-sex marriage. Its historic vote to legalize it last month was viewed by advocates and opponents as a watershed that would galvanize both sides.

In Hudson, about 30 miles south of the capital, Albany, Linda Mussman and Claudia Bruce legally married after 35 years together. And in Albany, Mayor Jerry Jennings said he'd marry a handful of couples who wanted to be among the first.