Mass gay wedding as lawsuit is filed

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) - Same-sex couples across New York State are seizing the moment. The words "I Do" symbolize their victory in a hard-fought battle for marriage equality.

It was the first official group wedding ceremony celebrating the passage of New York's Marriage Equality Act. Same sex couples had dreamed of this day when they could exchange marriage vows legally in New York. And with Niagara Falls as the setting, dozens of couples, some coming in from Arkansas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, made history in a group marriage ceremony.

Thomas Korn and Mark Lynch say they had been fighting for this moment for 29 years. They called it a step forward for the recognition of civil rights for gays and lesbians in New York State.

Lynch said, "Hopefully in New York State we can take this momentum to Washington where the Defense of Marriage Act is now being debated, and hopefully that bigoted act can be repealed."

A small group protesting gay marriage held a peaceful demonstration nearby. Opponents of New York's gay marriage law have already filed the first lawsuit challenging the measure.

Rev. Gary Johnson said, "We just simply want people to see the right way and to live out the best they can the right way according to the word of God."

A special moment for these newlyweds, who celebrated their relationships in a most beautiful setting. Special too for the three people who officiated, including Niagara Falls City Councilwoman Kristen Grandinetti.

Grandinetti said, "I felt the love. I felt all of these good things coming into Niagara Falls. I was born and raised here so to see something happen here of this magnitude, it just filled me with such pride."