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 Two days after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the U.S.
Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, Governor
Andrew Cuomo kicked off the New York City celebration by officiating
at the marriage of two men outside of the Stonewall Inn, a Greenwich
Village bar that is considered the birthplace of the U.S. gay rights
movement.
"I want you to know I'm a little nervous today - it's my first
marriage," Cuomo joked before marrying a couple in front of a crowd
of several dozen onlookers.
Earlier this month, the New York City Landmarks Preservation
Commission granted official landmark status to the Stonewall, site
of a June 1969 riot that galvanized the then-incipient gay rights
movement.
After Sunday's ceremony, one of the men called Cuomo an "LGBT hero"
and said the experience was "a dream come true."
 Tens of thousands of people attended pride parades in Chicago, San
Francisco and Minneapolis, culminating a weekend of festivities in
those cities. The events and parades mark the 46th anniversary of a
police raid at the Stonewall Inn, setting off protests widely
credited with the start of the U.S. gay rights movement. The court ruled on Friday that the Constitution's guarantees of due
process and equal protection under the law mean that states cannot
ban marriages between two men or two women. With the landmark
ruling, marriage becomes legal for all people in all 50 states.
Cuomo said New York's early progressive stance on gay rights made
gay marriage a reality.
"New York was the laboratory. And you know what? The sky didn't
fall," he said.
A short time later, thousands of people lining Fifth Avenue reveling
in a sea of rainbow flags cheered and shouted as dozens of colorful
floats and costumed marchers in the New York City Gay Pride Parade
passed by in a jubilant procession.
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"It's awesome, there's more people, it's more animated this year,
people are more excited this year," said Aaron Seide, a 24-year-old
retail worker from Westchester County whose cheeks were covered with
rainbow-colored sprinkles.
On a street corner, four men and women carried banners with messages
in opposition to gay rights.
"Are you on the highway to Heaven or hell?" read one. "Know the God
of your Bible," read another.
In San Francisco, tens of thousands of people, some decked out in
rainbow-themed tutus and body suits, cheered the city's annual gay
pride parade.
"We have a long way to go, but I think the broader public is
beginning to understand nobody is hurting each other because of a
life decision. Love wins," said Colleen Hackett, 51, of La Honda,
California.
Some attendees wanted to frame the Supreme Court ruling in the
context of a still-unfinished march to equality, but others were
content just to celebrate, such as Berkeley resident Stephanie
Brown.
"There is more to celebrate today, but I always feel like Pride is a
day to enjoy by itself, without worrying about the next milestone,"
she said.
(Editing by Matthew Lewis and Diane Craft)
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