Lesbians Marry in First for Portugal

A lesbian couple, both divorced mothers in their 30s, wed Monday in the first ceremony since Portugal ratified a marriage equality law last month.

According to the Associated Press, “Teresa Pires and Helena Paixao, divorced Portuguese mothers in their 30s who have been together since 2003, married in a 15-minute ceremony at a Lisbon registry office.”

Pires and Paixao had tried to marry since 2006, when a registry office rejected them. They appealed to the constitutional court, which rejected their bid. Parliament passed a marriage equality law in January. President Anibal Cavaco Silva, a conservative, ratified the law in May.