Gay Inmates to
Wed in Canada

Two gay prisoners at the federal penitentiary in Cowansville, Quebec, plan to wed in the institution's first same-sex marriage.

According to the CanWest News Service, David Bedard, 22, and Sony Martin, 26, are on different cellblocks but can see each other during lunch, gym, and outdoor activity periods. The two will marry at the prison chapel before a Quebec judge.

According to Lucette L'Esperance, assistant warden at the institution, the two will receive no special treatment. "The fact that they are getting married does not grant them any privileges; they will remain in their respective cellblocks and won't benefit from private family [conjugal] visits," L'Esperance told CanWest.

Bedard is serving a 10-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter, while Martin is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and is ineligible for parole before 2020.

This will be Canada's third same-sex wedding in a federal prison. (The Advocate)