Reuters: Amsterdam mayor marries U.S. gay couples on canal

[Heidi]

Sat Aug 1, 2009 11:19am EDT

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The mayor of Amsterdam married five American-Dutch gay couples on Saturday in an implicit criticism of the lack of same-sex marriage in many U.S. states.

Tens of thousands of spectators cheered as Mayor Job Cohen performed the ceremony on a cruise around the city's canals to celebrate the high point of the city's gay pride festival. Eight years ago Cohen presided over the first legal Dutch gay marriage.

All five couples had at least one partner from New York, where a battle over the legalization of gay marriage rages on.

"For me it's a message to New York, the most liberal state, the most hip state, to get with it," said Ira Siff, an opera professional from New York who was about to marry his partner, opera singer Hans Heijnis.

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[MichellesBFF]

1. Awww!

I heard one of the couple's on NPR a few weeks ago. They had entered a contest to be one of the couples married in Amsterdam, and the only American couple. They're hoping that this helps to bring legal gay marriage to NYS, and as a resident I hope they're right.

Mazel Tov to all of the happy couples!

[MrScorpio]

2. More proof that Amsterdam is the coolest town on the planet

I miss that place

[ccharles000]

3. k/r

[Bluenorthwest]

4. the Netherlands is the land of the free

[lame54]

5. he only did it to piss off O'Reilly