Half a million people, according to parade organizers, were present on Fifth Avenue on Sunday to celebrate Gay Pride and applaud New York on becoming the most populous state to approve same sex marriage.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo was present to cheer on the jubilant crowd along with Mayor Bloomberg and openly gay NY City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn.

Former NY Governor David Patterson--who unsuccessfully pushed for the passing of the same sex marriage bill in 2009--was also in attendance, holding a sign that said, "Thank you Gov. Cuomo."

"I think you're going to see this message resonate all across the country now." Cuomo said to a New York Times reporter, "If New York can do it, it's O.K. for every other place to do it."

Late Friday night, the bill was passed with a vote of 33-29.

It is said to go into effect on July 24, offering homosexuals the same benefits as heterosexual couples.

The Big Apple joins Massachusetts, the first state to approve gay marriage in 2004, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa, Connecticut and the District of Columbia in supporting marital rights of homosexuals.

Some Republicans, the Catholic Church and other religious denominations still stand their ground, upholding the Biblical belief that marriage is meant to be between a man and a woman.

"Marriage is reduced to an empty honor," Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio wrote in an essay to NY Daily News on Sunday.

"That there was virtually no public debate on the issue and that the entire matter was concluded in just over 30 minutes late on a Friday evening is disgraceful."

He also prompted all clergy and school principals not to invite any government official who voted for the bill "to speak or be present at any parish or school celebration."

Despite opposition, many saluted Cuomo during the festive parade and are encouraging his run for the 2016 presidential election.

With same sex marriage adopted as New York law, an alternate definition of holy matrimony has now evolved.

The observation of the unforgettable event concluded at The Stonewall, a famous bar in Greenwich Village where the gay rights movement sparked in 1969.