Same-sex weddings begin in Luxembourg
The first same-sex couples have married in LuxembourgĀ – and the country’s openly gay Prime Minister willĀ not be far behind.
Luxembourg is the only country in the world that has both a gay Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, and an openly gay Deputy Prime Minister,Ā Etienne Schneider.
The smallĀ EuropeanĀ country – which has a population of just 550,000 –Ā passed equal marriage by a landslide vote ofĀ 56-4 in June, and the law came into effect yesterday with remarkably little backlash.
Jean Paul Olinger and Henri Huber, who were the first couple to enter a domestic partnership in 2004, made history again as the first same-sex couple to wed.
The pair were married in Differdange town hall by mayor Roberto Traversini, according to Luxemberger Wort.
PM Xavier Bettel might not be far behind – as he plans to marry his partner Gauthier Destenay “soon”.
Mr Bettel said in August: “He asked me, and I said yes. I canāt give you the date, because itās not official yet.”
Luxembourg follows just days behind Scotland,Ā where the first weddings took place shortly after midnight on December 31.
In theĀ US, Florida is to begin same-sex weddings next week, when a ruling striking down the state’s marriage ban comes into effect.
