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In New York City, hundreds of jubilant same-sex couples waited in long lines for a chance to be married on Sunday, the first day that gay partners could officially wed in the nation鈥檚 latest and most populous state to legalize gay marriage.

鈥淚t symbolizes equality. But it also symbolizes that this is about love and families, as much as it is about laws,鈥� Greg Payton said before walking hand-in-hand into the City Clerk鈥檚 office in Brooklyn with his fianc茅, Robert Lafferty.

Sunday marked the nine-year anniversary of the day the two men met. Shortly before noon, it became their wedding day.

The Marriage Equality Act was passed and signed on June 24, but did not go into effect until Sunday. The law adds New York to the list of five other states that permit same-sex marriages: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia.

Forty-one other states prohibit gay marriage, through laws or constitutional amendments that reserve the right to wed for opposite-sex couples, according to a count by the Human Rights Campaign.

New York City organized an online lottery earlier in the week for couples to reserve spots at the City Clerk鈥檚 offices, which grants marriage licenses and can perform civil marriage ceremonies. By the close of the lottery on Thursday, 823 couples had applied for 764 spots.

Soon after, the city announced that all 823 applicant couples could wed on Sunday, which would surpass the city鈥檚 previous single-day record of 621 marriages performed on Valentine鈥檚 Day 2003. More than 60 judges in the city and dozens of others around the state volunteered to sign forms Sunday to waive the required 24-hour waiting period between the issuance of a marriage license and the wedding ceremony.

Many gay couples hoping to wed on Sunday said they had been disappointed by the state legislature鈥檚 past failures to approve previous same-sex marriage bills, and were worried they would never become legal spouses.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been let down so many times before,鈥� said Rhonda Waldon, as she waited in line to marry her partner of 16 years, Kim Waldon.

Kim Waldon had her surname legally changed in 2005. In 2008, the women traveled to California to be married 鈥� only to be thwarted by Proposition 8, a ballot initiative passed that November, which made same-sex marriages unconstitutional in that state.

For the couple, Sunday represented a 鈥渘ew beginning.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a day of empowerment,鈥� said Rhonda Waldon. 鈥淚t鈥檚 official now.鈥�

One of the state legislators who voted for New York鈥檚 gay marriage law, Democratic Senator Tom Duane, stopped by the Manhattan clerk鈥檚 office Sunday morning to congratulate some of the more than 400 same-sex couples scheduled to wed there.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be happier,鈥� said Mr. Duane, who posed for photos with his longtime partner, Louis Webre. 鈥淚t just makes all of the hard work absolutely, totally worth it.鈥�

The Republican-controlled Senate approved the bill by a vote of 33-29, with four Republicans and all but one Democrat in support. Until the final vote was held late on the night of June 24, it was unclear whether the bill would pass, or meet the same fate as the state鈥檚 previous gay marriage bills.

鈥淚 never thought this would be an option for me,鈥� said Alfred Gonzales, as he waited outside the Manhattan Clerk鈥檚 office.

鈥淲e both thought we would die bachelors,鈥� said his partner of 17 years, and soon-to-be-husband, Tom Allsup. Before they headed downtown, Mr. Allsup posted Wagner鈥檚 鈥淏ridal Chorus鈥� on his Facebook page as an impromptu wedding announcement.

Many of Sunday鈥檚 newlyweds viewed the new law and their own marriages as an act of basic fairness.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just a matter of civil rights,鈥� said Barbara Tremblay, before kissing her new wife, Stacey Minondo, on the steps of the Brooklyn Clerk鈥檚 office.

鈥淭hey shouldn鈥檛 discriminate based on who you love,鈥� said Ms. Tremblay, stirring cheers from a crowd of supporters waving signs.

In Manhattan, Jeannette Marquez made a similar argument.

鈥淲e pay the same taxes and we have families we need to protect,鈥� Ms. Marquez said, standing next to her fianc茅, Kerry Jardine. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e crazy about each other.鈥�

Several couples said the success of the gay marriage law this year reflects growing public support for same-sex matrimony. That notion is backed by recent, nationwide polls, such as a Gallup poll in May that showed 53 percent of Americans support legalized same-sex marriage 鈥� the first majority Gallup ever recorded on the issue.

Still, approval for same-sex marriage is far from universal. At least two groups staged protests Sunday: the Westboro Baptist Church, from Topeka, Kansas, and the National Organization for Marriage, headquartered in Washington, D.C.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter if all 10 million New Yorkers hold hands and agree, God still hates same-sex marriage,鈥� said Margie Phelps of the Westboro group, during a protest outside the Brooklyn Clerk鈥檚 office.

Elsewhere in the city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg acted as an officiant for the wedding of two staffers from his office, and Governor Andrew Cuomo hosted a reception for gay rights groups. Both men offered strong support of the bill, with Mr. Cuomo鈥檚 advocacy in particular widely cited as key to the law鈥檚 success.

In Brooklyn, a low-key couple in khaki pants and polo shirts strolled out of the municipal building Sunday morning without attracting the attention of the crowd of onlookers or the small army of reporters. They were the first gay couple to be married in Brooklyn.

鈥淭his will be part of history,鈥� said Bobby Amagna. His new husband, and 18-year partner, Michael Furey, noted that the judge who conducted their marriage ceremony cried afterwards.

鈥淲e will be dead, but this will still be on the History Channel,鈥� said Mr. Amagna. Mr. Furey laughed, then said he hoped that day was still a long way off.