A lesbian couple apply for a marriage licence in Wisconsin.

THE city of San Francisco made history by becoming the first civil authority in America to officially marry gay couples in open defiance of laws banning the practice.

The city, under the orders of its liberal new Mayor Gavin Newsom, officially married at least 15 gay couples and issued marriage licences to around a dozen others in a move that infuriated traditionalist groups.

The dramatic and landmark move in California came as lawmakers in Massachusetts struggled to thwart a court ruling legalising same-sex marriages in the eastern US state.