New York legalises gay marriage

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

Pending any court challenges, legal gay marriages can begin in New York by late July after Governor Andrew Cuomo signed his bill into law just before midnight last night.