Loophole allows lesbian marriage

COUPLE SAY WEDDING GIVES HOPE TO 'MILLIONS OF GAY AND LESBIAN PEOPLE WHO WANT THE SAME RIGHTS' A COUPLE in the east of France have celebrated what is believed to be the

country's first lesbian marriage, using a legal loophole to get around a ban on same-sex unions. Elise, 27, and Stéphanie, 59, tied the knot at the mairie in Nancy on Saturday in a

ceremony to coincide with the city's gay pride festivities. Mayor Laurent Hénard, from President Sarkozy's UMP party, was able to marry the couple because Stéphanie was still

considered a man by the French administration. Born Stéphane, she underwent a sex change operation but had refused to provide the necessary documents to the French authorities for her

records to be updated. Speaking to reporters outside the hôtel de ville, the couple - who have been together for four years - said their union was a "symbol for millions of gay and

lesbian people who would like the same rights". The marriage was applauded by Green MP Noël Mamère, who was briefly suspended from his job as mayor of Bègles (Gironde) in 2005 for

allowing a gay couple to marry. The union was later annulled by France's highest court. Several ministers in the French government have spoken in support of gay marriage, including

sports minister Chantal Jouanno.