COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The mayor of Ohio’s capital city has performed several gay weddings in a ceremony outside city hall to celebrate this month’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman united 13 gay couples in marriage just after noon July 11. Coleman’s office invited couples to submit their relationship stories to be picked for the occasion.
The event marked the first same-sex marriage ceremony officiated by Coleman since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 26 to legalize gay marriage across the country.
Stonewall Columbus Executive Director Karla Rothan tells The Columbus Dispatch Coleman has always been an advocate for gay rights and has often been involved in the city’s gay pride festival.
Coleman took the couples through the traditional vows and had them exchange rings in the nine-minute ceremony.
