First Gay Civil
Ceremony Held in Australian Territory

The first gay civil ceremony took place in the Australian Capital Territory on Monday. It was the first legally recognized commitment ceremony to be held in Canberra since the ACT government passed laws allowing same-sex partnerships.

Australia's federal government has only recently started to recognize state and territory civil unions performed in order to obtain federal benefits.

The ACT is the third of eight Australian states to recognize same-sex partnerships. Only residents of the three particular states are eligible for unions. All other Australian states do not recognize the civil unions performed in the other three. (The Advocate)