Same-sex couples married in midnight ceremonies across Australia on Tuesday after the last legal impediment to gay marriage expired.
Most gay and lesbian couples were required to provide one month’s notice of their intention to marry after marriage equality became law on December 9th 2017, with overwhelming majority support of Parliament.
That made Tuesday the first possible date for gay marriages.
That notice period was waived for some couples who married in recent weeks.
Those exceptional circumstances included a partner’s terminal illness and overseas-based relatives booking flights to Australia before the official start date for the new law was known.
Athletes Craig Burns and Luke Sullivan married at a midnight ceremony near the east coast city of Tweed Heads.
Later on Tuesday, Lisa and Kylie Caro also married in Sydney describing the wedding as “surreal”.
The Australian Parliament overwhelming voted for same-sex marriage after a nationwide postal survey that found in November that 62 percent of respondents wanted marriage equality.
A week before the result of the survey was known, the U.N. Human Rights Committee criticised Australia for putting gays and lesbians “through an unnecessary and divisive public opinion poll.”