Wednesday, June 30, 2010

ICELAND PRIME MINISTER JOHANNA SIGURDARDOTTIR WELCOMES LEGALIZATION OF GAY MARRIAGE BY MARRYING HER PARTNER

Iceland's marriage equality law came into effect yesterday. To mark its enactment, the country's lesbian Prime Minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, married her partner, writer Jonina Leosdottir:

"Iceland's parliament on June 12 unanimously adopted legislation allowing gay marriage, in a law that came into force on Sunday. Homosexual couples could previously enter into a civil partnership and benefit from the same rights as heterosexual couples, but this had not been considered a formal marriage. Miss Sigurdardottir, born in 1942, took power in February 2009. She has lived with Miss Ledsdottir, who is in her fifties, for several years and the couple entered a civil union in 2002. She is the world's first openly gay head of government."

Talk about leading by example.

Parliament's vote on June 11 to legalize same-sex marriage was unanimous — 49-0.

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