ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr marries partner Anthony Toms
Image: Andrew Barr marries Anthony Toms in Newcastle yesterday. Photo: Natural Light Photography.
Australia’s first openly gay leader of a state or territory government has become the first to enter into a same-sex marriage, in another political first for Australia.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr married his long-term partner Anthony Toms yesterday in Newcastle, surrounded by friends and family.
Barr and Toms met at a festival twenty years ago in Canberra and entered into a civil partnership in 2009, one year after they were introduced in the ACT.
“Anthony and I married yesterday on our twentieth anniversary and the tenth anniversary of our ACT civil partnership,” Barr said in a statement earlier today.
“We held a small family ceremony in Anthony’s home town of Newcastle. It was a lovely day and we want to thank our family and friends for their love and support.”
“We also thank the 7.8 million Australians (especially the 175,000 Canberrans) who voted yes to marriage equality.”
Barr has been the Chief Minister of the ACT since 2014 and became the first openly LGBTI member as well as government cabinet minister in the ACT Legislative Assembly from 2006 when he was elected the Member for Molongo.
Both ugly and unpleasant characters. I hope they choked on the cake! Thumbs down.
Congratulations, well done!
– Gay Libertarian Paul Mitchell