A landmark ruling on gay marriage as the nation's largest state throws out it's ban on same-sex marriage.

Tears and cheers of joy erupt outside the California courthouse as gay rights advocates got the news.

In a four to three decision, the California Supreme Court ruled domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage.

"We're actually gonna be able to marry. We're going to be newlyweds after 21 years together,” said John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney.

The monumental decision is a major boost for those seeking same sex marriage rights.

In the ruling, California now becomes the second state where gay and lesbians can legally marry.

Currently, same-sex marriage is legal only in Massachusetts.

"This is a message that this is about basic human dignity, the message says we're loving, we're family, we're in the community with you, we're standing right next to you,” said gay rights activist, Jeanne Rizzo.

The ruling came on a series of lawsuits seeking to overturn a law defining marriage in the traditional way, between a man and a woman.

In the majority ruling, the court said, "Our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation."

This issue may still be decided by voters, it appears that religious and conservative groups have obtained the requisite number of signatures to place on the November ballot a constitutional amendment that bans same sex marriage.

This ruling puts those groups on a collision course with gay and lesbian groups for November.