(AP) — The Austin City Council has voted to make the capital city of Texas the first in the state to formally endorse the legalization of same-sex marriages.

The Thursday vote was unanimous.

The state of Texas doesn’t presently recognize same-sex marriages. State law defines marriage as strictly between a man and a woman.

However, council member Sheryl Cole said that although the vote is purely symbolic, “symbolic acts matter.”

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