Seven same-sex couples were married en masse in Newark on Monday morning, minutes after New
Jersey officially became the 14th state in the US to allow gay
marriage.
"It is officially past midnight. Marriage is
now equal in New Jersey ," Booker
announced at Newark
city hall at 12.01am. The assembled crowd of activists and soon-to-be newly
weds cheered.
Booker had refused requests to officiate at
marriage ceremonies since being elected mayor in 2006, in protest at same-sex
marriage being unlawful in the state. A judge ruled last month that New Jersey
must recognise same-sex marriages, and despite late attempts to delay the
ruling – including by the state's governor, Chris Christie – it was upheld on
Friday. Booker made up for his seven barren years in office as he swiftly
joined a total of nine couples in holy matrimony – including two heterosexual
couples – within around 20 minutes.
"Do you wish to join in marriage?"
Booker asked Joseph Panessidi and Orville Bell, both 65, who were first in line
to be married. Both Panessidi and Bell
answered in the affirmative.
"And I wish to join you," Booker said.
"Not in the marriage," he added quickly, as laughter flowed up toward
the ornate ceiling.
A momentary shadow was cast over the ceremony
when Booker asked the crowd to speak if they knew of any "substantive
reason" why Panessidi and Bell
should not be wed.
"This is unlawful in the eyes of God,"
shouted an earnest-looking man wearing a beige jacket. He continued to shout as
he was escorted out by police. "The Bible says that 'he that lieth with a
man as he does with a woman, it's an abomination in the eyes of the
Lord'," the man, 24-year-old Mark de Rouville, told the Guardian
afterwards.
The interruption was minor, however, as Booker
said he had not heard "any substantive reason" in the protester's
message. He continued rattling through the ceremonies until all were wed.
"We feel that it's clear now,"
Panessidi said afterwards as guests drank champagne, ate cake and danced to
Diana Ross's 1980 hit I'm Coming Out. "You can't misunderstand what our
relationship is. It can't be dismissed or refuted by anyone."
Reference: theguardian
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