AUSTIN (September 28, 2012)--The Austin City Council voted unanimously to make the capital city of Texas the first in the state to formally endorse the legalization of same-sex marriages.

The state of Texas doesn't presently recognize same-sex marriages and state law defines marriage as strictly between a man and a woman, but Councilmember Sheryl Cole said that although the vote Thursday was purely symbolic, "symbolic acts matter."

According to supporting city documents, a 2010 University of Texas survey found that 63 percent of the Texans question support some form of legal civil union for same-sex couples.