SAN JUAN—In a state of bliss, dozens of gay Puerto Ricans celebrated their union in a same-sex mass wedding yesterday on the island, in what many call a historic event like no other.
Sixty-four couples got married at the “Paseo de la Princesa” in Old San Juan. The mass wedding was something that attorney, activist and president of the Human Rights Foundation (Fundación de Derechos Humanos), Ada Conde, promised gay couples on the island.
She told El Nuevo Día daily newspaper that “it was a celebration of love, after the Obergefell ruling.” Conde is married to Ivonne Alvarez. Their marriage took place on the mainland. She was the first Puerto Rican to sue the government to recognize her Massachusetts union.
The historical event held in the colonial sector of the island’s capital, also was attended by some dissenters, members of the religious right, to show discontent about the High Court decision and the marriages being performed. One of them was the Arecibo Catholic Church Bishop, Daniel Fernández Torres, who said such vows are against ” the natural laws.”
He told the heraldextra.com “today is a sad day for puerto rican society.”
When speaking about today’s event with El Nuevo Día, Conde said she was working toward making history, not just getting married.
“Love triumphs is a part of this event,” Conde said. “We want to be an example that we will not become another divorce statistic in Puerto Rico. When there is a committed relationship, it can last for the life we have on earth.”
In Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage on June 26th. By doing so, the ruling also affected same-sex couples in Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States.
Recently, Puerto Rico’s governor, Alejandro García Padilla, signed two executive orders to allow transgender people to change their gender on their driver’s licenses and also another that protects transgender rights on the island for needed medical services.
To check out more photos of this historical event in Puerto Rico, click here.
