Gay marriage legalized in New Zealand
- 11 years ago
(ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION)
STORY: New Zealand on Wednesday (April 17) became the first country in the Asia Pacific region to legalize same sex marriages after its parliament voted overwhelmingly to extend gay and lesbian couples the right to tie the knot.
Seventy-seven of 121 members of parliament voted in favour of amending the current 1955 Marriage Act to allow same sex couples to marry.
"The Aye's are 77 and the No's are 44," announced the speaker.
Cheers and applause erupted in the parliamentary public gallery when the vote count was announced.
"Yay, we did it," said Louisa Wall, the openly gay opposition Labour Party MP who promoted the bill.
"I have longed for this for a very, very long time. my only sadness is that both of my parents have now passed and it would have been such a huge joy to have them at my wedding," said openly gay Green's MP Kevin Hague, who has been with his partner for nearly 20 years, local media reported.
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STORY: New Zealand on Wednesday (April 17) became the first country in the Asia Pacific region to legalize same sex marriages after its parliament voted overwhelmingly to extend gay and lesbian couples the right to tie the knot.
Seventy-seven of 121 members of parliament voted in favour of amending the current 1955 Marriage Act to allow same sex couples to marry.
"The Aye's are 77 and the No's are 44," announced the speaker.
Cheers and applause erupted in the parliamentary public gallery when the vote count was announced.
"Yay, we did it," said Louisa Wall, the openly gay opposition Labour Party MP who promoted the bill.
"I have longed for this for a very, very long time. my only sadness is that both of my parents have now passed and it would have been such a huge joy to have them at my wedding," said openly gay Green's MP Kevin Hague, who has been with his partner for nearly 20 years, local media reported.
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