New York's legalization of same-sex marriage marks a historic human rights victory that will give much-needed credibility and visibility to the international movement for equality for gays and lesbians, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday.

Speaking at a gay pride event at the State Department, Clinton celebrated last week's move in the state she once represented in the Senate. She called New York's legislative approval of gay marriage a momentous and extraordinary event and said she hoped it would lend momentum to the campaign for gay rights.