Forty-seven gay and lesbian couples
“married” last week in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The mass ceremony included thirty-two
female and fifteen male couples exchanging vows and formalizing their
“stable unions,” a form of civil unions extended to gay couples
by court order in 2011. Stable unions offer couples a range of
rights similar to marriage.
It is the first such event to be
organized and sponsored by the regional government. Officials said
they wanted to “promote” the union to gay couples.
Several gay and lesbian couples in
recent months have successfully petitioned the courts to convert
their stable unions into full marriages.
Priscilla Pires da Silva, 24, and
Kathrein Marrichi Martin, 31, who have been together two years, were
the first couple to tie the knot.
Silva, a divorced mother, told
G1: “I always knew from an early age that I was gay, but people
don't accept it. So when love appears, there are no words to explain
it. I'm very happy.”
Americo Nunes Neto, 51, and Jorge
Eduardo Reyes Rodriguez, 62, formalized their union after 24 years
together.
Hundreds of family and friends attended
the event.