Lesbians Make It Official

Two lesbians became the first same-sex couple in Britain to win legal recognition under a civil partnership Monday, a ceremony that attracted scorn from Christian protesters but praise from gay rights activists.

Grainne Close, a social worker from Northern Ireland, and Shannon Sickels, a playwright from New York, were the first of several hundred same-sex couples exchanging vows nationwide this week -- including Elton John and his longtime partner.

“We are delighted. Here’s to many more,” Sickels said after the formalities at Belfast City Hall.

Northern Ireland, which in 1982 was the last region in Britain to legalize homosexuality, is now the first to grant gay couples the same legal protections as married heterosexuals. Scotland was to follow today, and England and Wales on Wednesday.

The measure is already in force in many other European countries.

After a 30-minute ceremony, Sickels and Close posed for photographers, then dashed off for a reception. Family and friends tossed flowers and rainbowcolored ribbons in their path.

“This is about making a choice to have our civil rights acknowledged and respected and protected as any human being,” said Sickels, 27, who met her 32-year-old partner in New York four years ago.

But the festivities also drew a few dozen Protestant evangelicals who sang hymns and waved “Sodomy is sin” placards.

Gay rights activists countered with their own bullhornassisted chants of support. A few wearing Hitler-style mustaches shadowed the evangelical crowd waving satirical placards that read, “Earth is flat” and “Bring back slavery.”