Two men exchanged marriage vows today in France 's first gay wedding, hailed by supporters as a victory for human rights but swiftly denounced by the government as illegal.
The couple, one dressed in white and one in black, swapped rings, hugs and kisses at a ceremony in the town hall of Begles in southwestern France which prompted a rally of support by drag queens and a protest by conservatives.
Mayor Noel Mamere, who is leading an assault on traditional family values, defied Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin to wed the two men. Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin announced the mayor would face legal action.
"Your marriage is a first, and I hope it will become something normal," said Mamere, a Green member of parliament, pronouncing them "united by the bond of marriage".
Bertrand Charpentier and Stephane Chapin, who have been in hiding for the past month because of the controversy and media attention, said the wedding was a victory for tolerance.
"If we have a message to give, it is be like us, be tolerant, love each other and pursue your dreams to the end," Charpentier, 31, told reporters after the wedding, his arm around the 33-year-old Chapin.
Blinking back tears, Mamere said he was not breaking the law and dismissed the government's threats against him.
But Villepin said Mamere could be suspended from office. "He has broken the law and failed in his duty as mayor, despite the prime minister's solemn warning," he said, referring to a threat issued by Raffarin in parliament that any civil official presiding over a gay marriage would face censure.