Two Male Spanish Air Force Privates Wed

Two male members of the Spanish air force were to wed Friday in a ceremony in Seville, the first known marriage of two military servicemen since the once-conservative Catholic country's legalization of same-sex marriage.
Some members of the military may not be happy about the union, but the Defense Ministry has said it considers the wedding a personal matter and the men will be allowed to continue with their careers. It had no comment Friday to the pending nuptials

The grooms, both named Alberto, were to be married later Friday by Seville Mayor Alfredo Sanchez Monteseirin at town hall.

The mayor is a member of the ruling Socialist party, which legalized same-sex marriage last year and has pushed through other liberal laws, including fast-track divorce and allowing for medically assisted fertilization.

The laws have irked the Roman Catholic Church and the country's conservative establishment, which has accused the government of tearing away at the nation's traditional values. But the wedding has barely caused a ripple of controversy in Spanish society. There was little mention of it in the country's main newspapers, and no protests expected at the ceremony in Seville, the main city in Spain's southern Andalusia province.

The two men, whose last names have not yet been released, said in June when they announced plans to wed that they expected some friction from their colleagues. "We know we are in the armed forces and this is touchy because we are not gardeners, but rather soldiers. I know there are superior officers who will make life difficult for me, and they are already doing so," said one of the Albertos, according to the Cadena Ser radio station.
... (Javier Barbancho, AP)
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