- Title: SPAIN: FIRST GAY COUPLE GET MARRIED
- Date: 13th July 2005
- Summary: (BN15) TRES CANTOS, SPAIN (JULY 11, 2005)(REUTERS) 1. SLV EXTERIOR OF TRES CANTOS TOWNHALL; FLAGS FLYING 0.08 2. MV GAY COUPLE CARLOS BATURIN AND EMILIO MENENDEZ POSING WITH A FRIEND FOR A PICTURE INSIDE CEREMONY ROOM AT TOWN HALL; MV BATURIN AND MENENDEZ SHOWING WEDDING RINGS TO MEDIA; MEDIA; MV BATURIN AND MENENDEZ POSING FOR A PHOTO WITH MENENDEZ MOTHER AND AUNT (8 SHOTS) 0.52 3. MV BATURIN AND MENENDEZ WALKING DOWN THE AISLE; CEREMONY IN PROGRESS 1.20 4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) UNITED LEFT LOCAL LEGISLATOR JOSE LUIS MARTINEZ SAYING: "Historic unfairness is starting to be fixed. With this act you are writing history, we are making history but history that isn't like some times we are used to, against anybody." 1.40 5. SCU BATURIN AND MENENDEZ HOLDING HANDS DURING CEREMONY; MV PEOPLE ATTENDING CEREMONY CLAPPING'; MV BATURIN AND MENENDEZ EXCHANGING WEDDING RINGS AND HUGGING EACH OTHER AND RELATIVES; MV BATURIN AND MENENDEZ LEAVING TOWNHALL AND BEING THROWN RICE BY FRIENDS OUTSIDE 2.42 6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) NEWLY WED EMILIO MENENDEZ SAYING: "This means the end, or better, the golden finishing touch for 30 years of relationship that Carlos and I have been together. We, as many others, deserve recognition for this." 7. BATURIN AND MENENDEZ SPEAKING TO MEDIA 3.02 8. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) MENENDEZ SAYING: "An Evangelical Minister told me: I don't recognise marriage between men but I celebrate that the civil courts legalise your union that is a love union blessed by God. That was said to me by an Evangelical Minister. Catholic bishops should be taking notes on this because they are going to lose a lot of clients." 3.27 9. SCU CARLOS BATURIN SHOWING MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE ; MV BATURIN AND MENENDEZ POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS OUTSIDE TOWN HALL 3.44 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 28th July 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: TRES CANTOS, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Reuters ID: LVAAMNWCV3HMB2S5IEKVY242J37J
- Story Text: First gay couple gets married in Spain.
The first gay wedding ever in Spain took place on Monday (July 11, 2005).
Carlos Baturin and Emilio Menendez got married at the city hall of the
Spanish northern town of Tres Cantos, some 30 kilometres from Madrid.
"Historic unfairness is starting to be fixed right here. With this
act you are writing history, we are making history but history that isn't like
some times we are used to because this is not against anybody", said
local legislator Jose Luis Martinez from the United Left Party as he
celebrated the ceremony that lasted less than 10 minutes.
Baturin, a United States citizen nationalised in Spain and Menendez, a
Spanish bank worker, met 30 years ago in Madrid and have been together ever
since.
"This means the end, or better, the golden finishing touch for 30
years of relationship. We, as many others, deserve recognition for this."
Menendez told media outside the town hall where a group of close friends
threw rice to congratulate the newly weds.
Menendez and Baturin were able to get married after completing all the
pre-ceremony paperwork that they started 11 days ago when the 350-Spanish
Congress of Deputies approved the measure to give homosexual couples the same
right as heterosexual ones. Although the law includes the right to adopt
children, they don't intend to do so as "we are getting too old for
that." They plan to go on honeymoon on a cruise to the Adriatic Sea next
September.
Spain is the third country in the world to grant full recognition to
gay marriage, despite of Catholic Church and conservative parties opposition.
The others are the Netherlands and Belgium. Canada is expected to follow suit
later this month.
Several European countries and a few U.S. states recognize civil unions
among same-sex couples but this falls short of treating them like married
couples.
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