More on the new South African marriage laws: the first gay couple were married in South Africa today, a day after the law was signed by the Deputy President of South Africa. The couple were Vernon Gibbs and Tony Halls, who own a guest lodge in Riversdale, a rather conservative town in the South West Cape of South Africa. (This is, by the way, a spectacularly beautiful area of South Africa- well worth a visit if you are down there).
The Mail & Guardian Newspaper reports that:
The couple, who run a guest lodge and animal-rehabilitation centre on the south-western coast, donned their game-ranger outfits and went down to the local home affairs office in the town of George.
In front of marriage officer Petro Kruger they exchanged rings and were pronounced a married couple.
"It was so amazing. So quick and easy. I can't believe it. I am so happy," said Gibbs.
As I diaried yesterday (resurrectional pimp) South Africa has become the first country in Africa, and only the fifth in the world, to legalise same-sex marriages, despite opposition from political parties and religious groups.
I am not sure what is special about George, but the second couple to wed also got married there, apparently.
Jacky Mashapu, a spokesperson for the Home Affairs Department, where couples will need to apply for permission to wed, said George had been the site of the first two gay weddings -- Gibbs and Halls at 11am and another one at 2pm. Details of the second one are not yet known.
Mashapu said they were still trying to ascertain how many applications had been made to offices across the country.
In the meantime, Janine Pressman, with the Glorious Light Metropolitan Community Churches in Pretoria, on Friday became the first pastor allowed to perform marriages under the Act. She is expected to marry a Johannesburg couple in a private ceremony on Saturday.
Buried in the story is a subtext: as I mentioned, Riversdale is a conservative town, with a strong evangelical and very powerful Afrikaner church population. When this couple moved to Riversdale and announced the opening of a gay resort, they fell foul of a particular church population, resulting in a dangerous clash- they stood their ground and although their lodge was vandalised five times and a gay militant group threatened to destroy the church building, the church later apologised and the couple withdrew criminal charges.
I said yesterday that once a law is signed, people tend to be much more accepting than one would expect, given previous opposition. This seems to be the case here whre the couple have received widespread support.
Gibbs said
"This marriage is not just for Tony and I. It is for all [people living with] HIV/Aids and gay people who have experienced discrimination," he said.
Gibbs said advantages of being married included greater legal protection as well as better medical aid and pension benefits.
But for him, marriage is about much more.
"Marriage means a lifetime commitment. It means to cherish, obey, love, honour. It means through sickness and health. All those relevant words I never thought would be for me,"