Delaware State Senator Karen Peterson
and Vikki Bandy married on Monday, making them the first couple to
take advantage of a gay marriage law taking effect on July 1.
Peterson and Bandy converted their
civil union into a marriage at the New Castle County Clerk of the
Peace's office in Wilmington on Monday morning.
“It's exciting, both historically and
personally,” Peterson told reporters after the ceremony. “I
never thought in our lifetimes we would be getting married.”
Peterson, a Democrat, publicly came out
gay last month on the Senate floor as members debated the marriage
bill.
“No one chose to be gay,” she told
colleagues. “We are what God made us. We don't need to be fixed.
We aren't broken.”
“My partner Vicki and I have been
together for 24 years. Last year, we entered into a civil union.”
“If my happiness somehow demeans or
diminishes your marriage, you need to work on your marriage,” she
added.
Two additional couples are expected to
marry on Monday: Chris Beagle and Eric Engelhart; Joseph Daigle II
and Daniel Cole. Others applying for licenses today will have to
wait for a mandatory 24-hour waiting period to expire before
exchanging vows.