NY becomes 6th US state to legalize gay marriage

After days of contentious negotiations and last-minute reversals by two Republican senators, New York became the sixth and largest state in the US to legalize gay marriage, breathing life into the national gay rights movement that had stalled over a nearly identical bill here two years ago.

Pending any court challenges, legal gay marriages can begin in New York by late July after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed his bill into law just before midnight Friday. (AP)