Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com
LUXEMBOURG, May 15 (Reuters) - Luxembourg's prime minister married his civil partner on Friday, becoming the first serving leader in the European Union to wed someone of the same sex.
Xavier Bettel, 42, and Belgian architect Gauthier Destenay were among the first men to marry under a new law, which came into force in the Grand Duchy in January and made it the latest on nearly a dozen EU states to allow gay marriage.
Greeted by scores of well-wishers outside city hall after the private ceremony, the couple, in dark suits and ties, waved to the crowd. Bettel, a liberal whose election 18 months ago ended decades of conservative rule in the traditionally Catholic country, hugged Destenay and said: "Luxembourg can set an example."
Fellow youthful EU prime ministers Charles Michel, 39, of neighboring Belgium, and Estonia's Taavi Roivas, 35, attended the civil ceremony conducted by Bettel's political ally and successor as mayor of the city of Luxembourg.
"I came to the wedding of a friend. It's a great moment for him and I had to be present," Michel told Belgium's RTBF radio.
Bettel, a lawyer by training, publicly came out as gay in a radio show seven years ago. Destenay, already his boyfriend at the time, had still not come out.
"I didn't get up one morning and said, hey, I'm gay," Bettel told a television interviewer in 2013. "When I hear people say that we are sick, it's not a choice."
He became prime minister in December 2013, ending 19 years in power for Jean-Claude Juncker, who now heads the European Commission in Brussels.
Five years ago, Johanna Sigurdardottir, then the prime minister of Iceland, became the first serving government leader in the world to marry a same-sex partner. (Additional reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; Writing by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Robin Pomeroy)
Xavier Bettel, 42, and Belgian architect Gauthier Destenay were among the first men to marry under a new law, which came into force in the Grand Duchy in January and made it the latest on nearly a dozen EU states to allow gay marriage.
Greeted by scores of well-wishers outside city hall after the private ceremony, the couple, in dark suits and ties, waved to the crowd. Bettel, a liberal whose election 18 months ago ended decades of conservative rule in the traditionally Catholic country, hugged Destenay and said: "Luxembourg can set an example."
Fellow youthful EU prime ministers Charles Michel, 39, of neighboring Belgium, and Estonia's Taavi Roivas, 35, attended the civil ceremony conducted by Bettel's political ally and successor as mayor of the city of Luxembourg.
"I came to the wedding of a friend. It's a great moment for him and I had to be present," Michel told Belgium's RTBF radio.
Bettel, a lawyer by training, publicly came out as gay in a radio show seven years ago. Destenay, already his boyfriend at the time, had still not come out.
"I didn't get up one morning and said, hey, I'm gay," Bettel told a television interviewer in 2013. "When I hear people say that we are sick, it's not a choice."
He became prime minister in December 2013, ending 19 years in power for Jean-Claude Juncker, who now heads the European Commission in Brussels.
Five years ago, Johanna Sigurdardottir, then the prime minister of Iceland, became the first serving government leader in the world to marry a same-sex partner. (Additional reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; Writing by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Robin Pomeroy)
Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteang gwapo talaga mga taga europe
ReplyDeleteMababaho naman
DeleteBaket... Lahat ba ng pinoy mabango. Sakay ka ng mrt tas sabihen mo ulet yan. Prejudice! Aral ka nga sa mamahalin na school or sa diversified man lang @anon 2:20
DeleteBitter si 2:20 baka di pinansin ng natipuhang european hehe
DeleteHe got a young,handsome and professional partner. Good for him. Swerte p sa mga girlalu si kuyang. Buti p sya may forevaaaa nah!!! Hehe
ReplyDeleteMarami susunod sa yapak nila esp.filipino politicians.talamak kaya nagtatago lang.
ReplyDeleteAng babae ay Para sa lalake at ang lalake ay para sa babae
ReplyDeleteateng .. nakapatagal na panahon na yan .. wala ka naman sa contest para kumuda ng wasto at nararapat .. nasa tunay na mundo ka. kaya makibagay na lang :-) mwahs
DeleteTeh di lahat naniniwala sa religion goodluck sa mababaw mung pananaw
DeletePaulit-ulit.. at ang unggoy ay para sayo!
DeleteI think they just use each other because they are both successful
Deletepasok na sa kumbento hihi
DeleteTama yan 1:56 sana dumating ang araw na matanggap na ng lahat ng tao yan sa mundo.
Delete=. Jusme nagmamahalan sila kiber ba. Buhay nila yan.
DeleteWhat a lovely couple. Best wishes! Go forth and .... be happy.
ReplyDeleteKung saan masaya, go! Basta ba wala kayong nasasaktan eh :)
ReplyDeletelove love love!!! their government is really nice and charitable! i was one of their scholars at ERDA Tech Foundation! from 1st - 5th yr i was one of their scholar! and yes we have a 5th year in high school since 1994! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! BEST WISHES!
ReplyDeleteCongrats and be Happy na.lang for.them
ReplyDeleteAno na ang nangyayari sa Mundo? O well buhay nila yan. Bahala na ang Dips.
ReplyDeleteNeed pa rin nila ng babae at science to multiply...
ReplyDeleteWhat if ayaw naman nila magkaanak
Deletemultiply kaagad?
DeleteAng love, hindi namimili ng gender. At ang marriage, hindi nagrerequire ng anak.
Delete-SHOESMITA JONES
Kung gusto nila ng anak pwede sila magampon. Kung ayaw, edi no problem. Ang pagkakaroon ba ng anak ang magcoconsumate sa marriage?
DeleteHow will the people call his partner? First Gentleman? First Husband ? First Partner? First Father ?
ReplyDeleteNot your problem, dear.
Delete