Orlando Cruz, the Puerto Rican boxer who broke new ground when he came out as " a proud gay man" last year, married his boyfriend José Manuel Colón in New York.
As the Washington Blade first reported, the Nov. 16 ceremony took place in Central Park and was officiated by New York City Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito. Pedro Julio Serrano of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Shirley Casiano were witnesses.
“Giving thanks to my heavenly father for one more day of life and with [my] husband José Manuel in it,” Cruz wrote in Spanish on his Facebook page, according to a translation provided by the Blade's Michael K. Lavers.
Photos of the intimate ceremony have begun to appear on Twitter. Check out a few below:
It's been quite a year for Cruz. Although he lost a high-profile world championship battle last month, he's nonetheless been embraced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community as a staunch advocate since he opened up about his sexuality in 2012.
He wore rainbow boxing shorts and pink gloves during the high-visibility fight last month in order to show support for both LGBT rights and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.