US: Same-sex couple to marry atop six-storey novelty giant elephant
A six-storey novelty giant elephant will host its first same-sex wedding next month in New Jersey.
Lucy the Elephant, a 133-year-old, 20 metre-tall structure made from wood and tin, will host her first same-sex marriage on June 7.
Rich Helfant, who oversees the upkeep of the elephant, told Philly.com he was “excited” to host the ceremony.
He said: “We will be having our first same-sex wedding here at Lucy on June 7, and we’re really excited about that.
“To have a same-sex wedding here is special to me as a gay man, but it’s great for the monument.
“It’s going to be great for Lucy as the world’s largest drag queen [her tusks mean she’s technically male].”
Lucy has served as a restaurant, business office, cottage, and tavern since her construction, and narrowly avoided demolition in the 1960s.
She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, and is jokingly referred to as the Mayor of Margate City.
Same-sex marriages have been legal in New Jersey since October 21 last year, after Judge Mary Jacobson ruled that the organisation was violating the constitution by not allowing couples to marry.
