Some friends of ours who married last year in Hawaii were interviewed by Milena Montefiori of the Resto del Carlino Forlì newspaper.
Here’s our translation of the interview – there’s also a second article about same sex marriage in Italy in the linked article:
Married in Hawaii and The Government There Recognizes It
It was a beautiful wedding day: on the beach in Hawaii, at sunset. Bruno (a pseudonym), whi has lived in Forli for half his life, recounts with some emotion the day he married his partner.
RdCF: How long have you been together?
Bruno: For 13 years and two months.
RdCF: Why did you decide to take this big step?
Bruno: After living together for years, the idea was in the air. We thought that if we waited for Italian law to catch up, who knows when we would be able to marry. And so, when the opportunity presented itself in the US, we did it.
RdCF: What opportunity?
Bruno: We have some American friends that we met years ago during a discussion of marriage equality on Facebook. They had a house in Hawaii and they were our hosts.
RdCF: You lived the dream of many couples. But how much did it cost?
Bruno: Considering that we did not have to pay for nightly lodging, we spent about two thousand Euro a person, including the round-trip flight.
RdCF: And for the wedding, what steps did you have to take, and how much did it cost?
Bruno: In the US, it’s very simple. After having paid a fee of about $100, we chose an officiant and the type of ceremony.
RdCF: What was your wedding ceremony like?
Bruno: No frills, otherwise it would have been crazy-expensive. And afterwards, we celebrated with a group of American friends. Then we went on our honeymoon. Obviously, not with matrimonial leave; we used some of our regular days off.
RdCF: And when you returned to Forli? Did you celebrate?
Bruno: Yes, with my husband’s family that accepts us. They were very happy for us.
RdCF: Now, your marriage, where is it valid?
Bruno: In the US, for now only in the states that recognize marriage equality. And it should be recognized also in countries that recognize same sex marriage.
RdCF: Why is the registration of your marriage important to you?
Bruno: It would be a small step forward to make people here more comfortable with the idea of same sex marriage. Until then, however, we prefer to remain anonymous.
RdCF: Have you seen the judicial ruling in Grosseto that ordered the registration of a marriage between two men?
Bruno: Sure, we hope that it opens the door for our LGBT rights.
See the original article in Italian here.
The post Married Italian Gay Couple Interviewed By Local Paper appeared first on Marriage Equality Watch.
