German MEP makes gay wedding statement

8 September 2005

BRUSSELS — German European Parliament member Lissy Gröner, 51, will marry her girlfriend in Brussels on Saturday.

She decided to marry in Belgium because legislation for gay marriages is more flexible than in her native Germany.

However, besides personal reasons, the marriage is also a political statement.

“In Belgium, the law offers the same statute to hetero and homosexual couples. That is a positive signal for Europe,” Gröner said.

Moreover, Gröner is friends with Brussels Mayor Freddy Thielemans, who will perform the civil ceremony, Belgian newspaper ‘De Standaard’ reported on Thursday.

Belgium legalised gay marriages in 2003 and opened that opportunity up to foreigners in 2004.

The co-habitation contract in Germany offers similar rights, but does not guarantee the same fiscal rights that married couples enjoy.

Subject: Belgian news