our thanks. they should be very proud. america should be very proud. joining me now from outside the stonewall inn here in new york are rob thomas and joseph vitali, a married couple who with their son cooper were plaintiffs in today s case. and gentlemen, where were you when you got the news? how d you get the news? we were actually in msnbc studios waiting to go on this morning morning morning morning morning. and you know, we heard at 10:01, you know, getting to the studio and sit down we won. and we won. and so we didn t have a lot of time to really digest what happened. but you know, over the course of the day, i mean, we re just so excited. words can t even say how excited we are. what does it mean to you that this ruling came down today? how likely would you have viewed this ten years ago?
court decision drew hundreds of people to the village and a rally outside the stone wall inn. because we are all equal people! reporter: the site of gay rights demonstrations in the 60s is now a place where people offer toasts to progress. to equal rights for all in america. reporter: a moment they choose to capture in time. the gay rights movement has come a long way. there was the first gay liberation parade it was called. 40 years ago. reporter: 49-year-old dustin pittman was 49 years old was 16 when he took photographs of a gay pride parade in manhattan that he says drew just 300 people. the nation s president applauded the ruling as did new york mayor michael bloomberg. it is not the government s business to tell you who you can love, live with or marry. it is not. reporter: in the tri-state area, only new jersey doesn t have a same-sex marriage law on the books. listen, i don t think the ruling was, was appropriate.
and they know exactly when to leave. there were no injuries here. not in this entire neighborhood. as you mentioned, there were two deaths in oklahoma. more than three dozen injuries. and some 300 homes in this state damaged in one way or another. and those damaged homes are now part of the problem. because we re expecting high winds. and there s pieces of plywood and nails all over the place. that s been the reason for the accelerated clean-up. the target zone this afternoon, forecasters think the biggest area of possibility is ranges from dallas here to oklahoma city. but andrea, it goes as far north as minnesota. back to you. absolutely heartbreaking, grim, grim pictures there, thank you very much for your reports, stay safe. and mourners planning a vigil in new york s west village to remember mark carson, the latest victim in a spate of anti-gay attacks, he was 32 years old, shot and killed late friday night. only steps away from the iconic stone wall inn, the site of
making same-sex marriage legal. prompting celebrations late into the tonight. julie banderas is live in the new york city newsroom. julie: it is dubbed the marriage equality act. making new york the sixth and largest state to do so. when word the new york bill narrowly cleared, you can hear them last night. 33-29 vote, celebrations erupted. meanwhile, new york city, thousands gathering outside the famed stone wall inn where the gay rights movement begin 40 years ago. even the empire state billion lit up in rainbow colors. for many couples just being able to describe the status, marriage is the biggest benefit of all. it s never too late to become equal. people worked hard to make it happen. i think we re thankful for all
legalize same-sex marriage. cleared the senate on 33-29 vote, governor cuomo signed marriage equality into law at 11:55 p.m. last night. granting gay couples to marry under the law as well as hundreds of rights, benefits and protections. brings this discussion of marriage equality to a new plain. the power and the beauty of new york. the other states look to new york, for the progressive direction. and what we said today is you look to new york once again. because new york made a powerful statement. not just for the people of new york, but the people all across this nation. the people of new york city take a listen, sell celebrations erupting shortly at vote. hundreds gathered outside the taped stonewall bar where the