US: Pittsburgh Mayor presides over 19 same-sex weddings

The mayor of the city of Pittsburgh officiated at the weddings of 19 couples at the weekend.

Mayor Bill Peduto released a statement last month saying he would be “thrilled to make the marriage of an LGBT couple” the first one he performed as mayor.

He did just that at the weekend, presiding over the weddings, which included a couple who had waited three decades to marry.

“We weren’t able to do what we’re about to do — it wasn’t possible,” in the city’s history, Peduto said. “We’re entering into a new phase — a new Pittsburgh.”

Dozens of gay and lesbian couples in the US state of Pennsylvania rushed last month to obtain marriage licences, as a judge struck down its same-sex marriage ban.

A 1996 state law defined marriage as between one man and one woman, but in a Tuesday ruling, US District Judge John Jones ruled that the ban was unconstitutional.

• Nov 29 2023

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