Introducing Portugal's First Married Same-Sex Couple

by Michael Jones · 2010-06-07 08:18:00 UTC
Topics:

PortugalAnd then there were eight ... eight countries where same-sex couples can legally get married, that is. Portugal became number eight today after same-sex marriage legislation cleared all potential hurdles and took effect. One lesbian couple grabbed the spotlight, becoming the country's first same-sex married couple. And it's a bit of divine justice for these two women.

That's because Teresa Pires and Helena Paixao both tried to get a marriage license in 2006, but were turned away from a registry office. "No same-sex couples allowed," they were basically told.

But what a difference a few years makes. Pires and Paixao both continued to push for their right to marry, and push for LGBT equality nationwide. The culmination of their work came to pass today, with a fifteen minute ceremony etched into Portuguese history.

"This is a great victory, a dream come true," Pires said, according to the Associated Press. Then she kissed her new wife.

Portugal now joins European stalwarts Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Norway as countries that officially recognize same-sex marriage. South Africa and Canada are also on the list, not to mention pockets of acceptance within the U.S. and Mexico — Mexico City, and Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Iowa and Washington, D.C.

Yet, while today is a historic day in Portugal (much to the chagrin of anti-gay marriage entities, including the Vatican), Portugal still bans gay and lesbian couples from adopting. That's a battle that Pires and Paixao hope to tackle next, with the help of legislators and LGBT rights groups in the country.

And maybe with the help of superstars like Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, who went on record last week supporting full equal rights for Portugal's LGBT population. “We must respect the choices of each other, because, after all, all citizens should have the same rights and responsibilities," Ronaldo said.

That includes marriage, which Portugal can now check off the list. But it also includes full adoption and parenting rights, too. And on that front, there's still an awful lot of work to do.

Photo credit: moacirpdsp

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
PREVIOUS STORY:
Lesbians Do It Better (Raise Kids, That Is)
NEXT STORY:
Bullied high schooler convinces MPAA to change ‘Bully’ rating to “PG-13”

COMMENTS (8)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.