First lesbian wedding occurs in Spain

More reporters than guests attended the first wedding of two women in Spain on Friday under the country's new law allowing same-sex marriages, news reports said. Judge Jorge Vergara presided over the wedding between a woman from Spain and another from Argentina at a registry office in the town of Mollet del Valles near Barcelona. The national news agency Efe said the almost 50 reporters and photographers far outnumbered the 15 guests at the ceremony. The women, who were identified by their first names only, were greeted with applause as they entered the office. They had asked photographers not to take pictures of their faces in the interest of privacy. Spain, a predominantly Catholic country, last month became one of four countries in the world to allow same-sex marriages. The measure, which paves the way for gay couples to adopt, has been fiercely criticized by the Roman Catholic Church and the leading conservative opposition Popular Party. The first same-sex marriage took place between two men July 11 in Tres Cantos, outside Madrid. (AP)