News
2007-01-09
Female inmates
marry each other behind bars in Canada
Two female
inmates have tied the knot behind bars in Canada. The women
were married by a minister on Sunday night in a small
Two female
inmates have tied the knot behind bars in Canada. The women
were married by a minister on Sunday night in a small
ceremony at the Edmonton Institution for Women, the
Edmonton Sun reported. Officials have not
identified the women.
"It's certainly a first for the Edmonton
Institution for Women," said assistant warden Gary
Sears. The women were married in their street clothes,
said Sears, and were allowed to complete the ceremony
without handcuffs. Still, they remained under the
watchful eye of prison guards the whole time, he said.
The wedding night was a lonely one for the
couple. Prison policy prevents them from consummating
the union, and they remain in separate cells.
It isn't the first same-sex marriage behind bars
in Canada, but it may be a first for women. Two men
were married at Ontario's Bath Institution in November.
Murray Billett, a prominent member of Edmonton's
gay community, called the union "outstanding." But
Kevin Grabowsky, the Prairie region president of the
Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, said his union
opposes the marriage. "It's the value and ethics of getting
married in jail while they're serving time together in
the same institution," said Grabowsky. "It's not Club
Fed, where you go and meet your spouse."
One of the inmates is serving a 34-month
sentence for breaking and entering, assault with a
weapon, and aggravated assault and is scheduled for
release on November 18, Sears said. The second inmate was
jailed for six years for manslaughter, assault, and
assaulting a peace officer. She is scheduled for
release on December 6.
Grabowsky, whose union represents guards at the
women's prison, said the marriage could threaten
security. He suggested one woman might try to exact
revenge if her spouse got into an argument with a guard.
"What if they have a marital spat? What if one of them
gets transferred? Would the other one have to be
transferred?" he asked.
Sears said Correctional Service Canada officials
investigated the risk to staff, other inmates, and
visitors before allowing the marriage to go ahead. He
also said guards and the prison's administration will
monitor the case closely to ensure there are no problems.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Canada since
2005. (AP)
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