Congratulations to Portugal’s gay couples

Today is the first day that same-sex couples can marry in Portugal. Our congratulations to those couples now able to legally join, to the politicians who fulfilled campaign promises, and the the Portuguese people whose lives have become enriched with a greater promise of equality.

Update: The first weddings have already started:

Teresa Pires and Helena Paixao, divorced Portuguese mothers in their 30s who have been together since 2003, married in a 15-minute ceremony at a Lisbon registry office.

“This is a great victory, a dream come true,” Pires said as the couple kissed and hugged.

“Now we’re a family, that’s the important thing,” Pires said, adding they would continue to fight for equal rights for homosexuals, including adoption.