Northern Territory celebrates first same-sex wedding
Image: Photo: supplied.
The Northern Territory has seen its first same-sex wedding, with a Darwin couple tying the knot on Monday.
Keith Edwards and Afham Janil married in a small, low-key wedding at the registry office, NT News has reported.
Edwards said he was relieved to finally be able to legally marry in Australia.
“It has not made any difference in our relationship, but it is nice to be able to endorse how we feel about each other,” he said.
He said that while they have always been openly affectionate in public, the couple have always still had the feeling they could be disapproved of.
Marriage equality has allowed them to feel more accepted and like any other couple.
“We’ve been walking around Darwin, holding hands, hugging and no one has said anything negative,” Edwards said.
“But you still feel like that perhaps you shouldn’t do that.
“I think it is much less challengeable now. [Marriage equality] makes you feel normal.”
The couple said they had submitted the required forms 30 days before the wedding, but put together their plans in only a few days.
“We were nervous earlier,” said Janil.
“We only organised for three or four days.”
“We thought we’d just have ourselves and two witnesses, we were even going to drag two people off the street,” Edwards said.
“But then we thought it is a bit silly not having a party so we just organised that in the last few days.”
The first legal same-sex weddings took place around Australia on January 9, with a handful occurring earlier by special government permission.
Some couples said ‘I do’ just after midnight, wasting no time to wed as soon as they possibly could.
