Late Friday evening, the New York State Senate approved the Marriage Equality Act, becoming the first Republican-controlled legislature to vote to extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples — and the sixth, and largest, state in the U.S. to vote in favor of marriage equality.

Previously approved in the New York State Assembly, the legislation passed in the Senate 33-29, after an extension of the Senate's legislative session.

Local reaction came quickly in Maplewood, N.J.

"This is the kind of history making night you get to experience maybe once in a lifetime. It was simply beautiful to watch. How often can you literally observe people being granted civil rights?" said Mary Alice Carr, one of the co-organizers — along with C.J. Prince — of the first-ever Maplewood Pride Picnic taking place Saturday in Memorial Park.

"Pride 2011 is that much sweeter this year because of all the amazing people, gay and straight and otherwise identified, who recognize that equality is not a gay issue and got off their tushies to make a little history," wrote Deborah Goldstein, author of the Over the Rainbow column on South Orange Patch and her own blog Peaches & Coconuts. "I can only hope that New Jersey is next," she added.

Local blogger and marriage rights activist Kirk Petersen (pictured rallying in Trenton here) had this to say: "Same-sex marriage is a straightforward civil rights issue, and the only acceptable outcome is full marriage equality. The New York vote is huge. Unfortunately for New Jersey, the governor whom I otherwise support strongly is on the wrong side of the issue."

Petersen recently blogged about the 2010 New Jersey vote. On Saturday, he and his wife Nina Nicholson will be at the Maplewood LGBT Pride Picnic wearing their rainbow Jesus-fish T-shirts ("I'm a Christian and I support Equality") and passing out fridge magnets for St. George's Church that read "Our parish is more than 100 years old. Our thinking is not."

“Today, New York has agreed with the majority of this country’s population that supports equal marriage rights for all,” said Robin McGehee, director of GetEQUAL, a national LGBT civil rights organization. “We're thrilled that New York legislators understand the vital importance of recognizing the fundamental humanity of LGBT Americans.”

In New York, one of our sister Patches — Carroll Gardens Patch — is reporting on how locals have supported the marriage equality bill. Craig Hall, a six-year resident of Carroll Gardens, said he was surprised at how long it had taken New York, a liberal state, to legalize same-sex marriage.

"We seem to be ahead of the rest of the country in so many other ways," said Hall. "I say better now than never." Hall added that he is looking forward to marrying his boyfriend in New York.

Read more about Carroll Gardens here.

In Park Slope — former home of many Maplewoodians — the mood is jubilant, as revelers celebrate the Senate vote at Ginger's Bar into the wee hours of the morning.

In New Jersey, a marriage equality bill was defeated in the NJ Senate in January 2010 by a vote of 20-14. Local reactions was swift and anguished. Civil unions remain legal in New Jersey for same sex couples but have been found to be legally ineffectual in affording domestic partners equal rights vis-a-vis married partners.

Despite the disappointment of 2010, local advocates of same-sex marriage should be feeling energized for Saturday's first-ever Maplewood LGBT Pride Picnic. The picnic will take place in Memorial Park across from the train station between 2 and 6 p.m.

Patch will be there to capture the mood.