Fano, Italy Mayor Stefano Aguzzi on
Friday registered the marriage of a gay couple performed in The
Netherlands.
Fausto Schermi and Edwin Van Dijck
married in 2008. After an Italian judge ordered the town of Grosseto
to recognize the marriage of a gay couple who tied the knot in New
York, Schermi and Van Dijck asked Aguzzi to recognize their marriage.
Aguzzi agreed, making Fano the first Italian town to register the
marriage of a gay couple without a court order.
“This is for you, thank you all for
helping to change the story, now the door is open,” the couple told
a crowd gathered at City Hall, according to the
blog Agere per Formulas.
“I did not think that today, it was a
situation that aroused so much hype,” Aguzzi said. “The decision
to proceed with the registration of the marriage was a personal
choice that I wanted to do in my capacity as mayor. I believe it is
right that everyone, for their specificity and will, may have
recognized his rights.”
Aguzzi added that he hopes the
registration will encourage Italian lawmakers to approve legislation
allowing gay couples to marry.