ST. PAUL — It’s been a year since Minnesota’s gay and lesbian couples got the right to legally marry.

The anniversary of the state allowing same-sex marriage arrived today. It was a quieter scene than last year when couples lined up to exchange vows at the stroke of midnight.

Thousands of gay couples have obtained marriage licenses in the first year. Minnesota is one of 19 states where gay marriage is legal. Bans have been overturned in several others but those cases continue to make their way through the federal courts.

Minnesota’s political debate isn’t over either. Two Republican incumbents who supported gay marriage in Minnesota have faced challenges within their party and some rural Democrats could see the issue used against them this fall.