Gays and lesbians may not be able to get married in New York - but they can get divorced.

In what is believed to be the first ruling on the issue of gay divorce in the state, a judge in Binghamton, New York has granted a divorce to a lesbian couple.

Justice Molly R. Fitzgerald based her ruling on an executive order issued last May by Gov. David Paterson recognizing the marriages of New York gay and lesbian couples who had gone outside the state to wed. The order directed state agencies to revise their policies.