Minn., RI Ring in Gay Marriage

At midnight, Minnesota and Rhode Island became the 12th and 13th states to legalize gay marriage and there were dozens of couples waiting at Minneapolis City Hall and courthouses across the state, the AP reports. Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak pronounced the first couple married before a cheering crowd of nearly 1,000, reports Reuters. "By the power now finally invested in me," he said as the couple's 5-year-old son looked on, "I hereby declare Margaret and Cathy legally married."

Officials in Minnesota estimate 5,000 gay couples will marry in the state this year. The first same-sex weddings in Rhode Island will happen this morning but the state isn't expecting a rush: It's the last New England state to legalize gay marriage and many couples have already gotten married in neighboring states. One of those who is getting married today is Democratic state Rep. Frank Ferri, who helped lead the push for legalization, the Providence Journal reports. Ferri married his partner in Canada in 2006 but he says a ceremony in his home state will be more meaningful. (More gay marriage stories.)