As the clocks struck midnight on Tuesday, dozens of same-sex couples tied the knot in Australia, marking the first legal ceremonies of their kind in the country.
Although Australia passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage last month, Tuesday was the first day such couples could legally marry without applying for a special exception.
The law was passed in Australia's Parliament after a national postal survey found that a majority of people supported marriage equality in December.
Australia is the 26th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, according to Pew Research. The measure was widely lauded as a victory for worldwide LGBTI+ groups a term that refers collectively to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or intersex or other sexual minorities.
Among the first to wed were athletes Craig Burns (R) and Luke Sullivan, whose ceremony took place just after midnight at an estate in New South Wales on Tuesday.
The two runners quickly organized the wedding in the month since the law was passed. All Australian couples must provide a full month's notice of their intention to get married.
In the port city of Perth in Western Australia, Gillian Brady (L) and Lisa Goldsmith signed their marriage certificate at a ceremony at the Court Hotel.
No comments:
Post a Comment