Gay Cyps

LARNACA, Cyps (AP) — The newlyweds wanted to go all-out wh their weddg celebratns. All the trappgs of a tradnal Cyprt weddg were on display; the huge le of well-wishers wh sh-filled envelop hand, a band playg the latt Greek pop hs and the mandatory roasted pork. Mars Frixou and Fanos Eleftherias said they wanted that way, a public claratn of their mment to each other. Their hope is to offer other gay upl on the small east Mederranean island natn the urage to be open about their love for each other. Their unn is the first public gay weddg Cyps, which has ranked low on an x of LGBT rights. It follows last month's first gay weddg but that was a low-key event volvg an anonymo uple. Late last year, lawmakers paved the way for the weddgs by passg a civil unn law that effect regniz gay marriage. It was a big step forward for gay rights Cyps, which only crimalized homosexualy 18 years ago. "We wanted to give urage to other upl and to all gay and transgenr people to accept themselv and not to be ashamed of who they are," says Frixou. "We've gotten sr of msag om people tellg how much urage we've given them." The weddg ceremony self took jt mut — a simple exchange of vows ont of the Nisia District Officer wh the uple's two bt women and a few iends on hand. The receptn was not so most and hundreds of people showed up to wish the happy uple all the bt. Keepg wh Cyprt tradn, Frixou's mother greeted the uple by handg both newlyweds a gold , old fay heirlooms which they hung around their necks. The uple danced to a vl rendn of the tradnal weddg song. Frixou — a 36-year-old former lerature tutor who hails om the small village of Xylophagou the island's southeast — isn't shy about beg the public eye. The garlo prison guard has racked up several talk show appearanc, thored five novels and is actively volved chary work. He says some of the proceeds om the receptn will go toward helpg sick kids. Fanos, 26, works at an upsle store of a famo Italian clothier. "The village don't see my as 'Mars the gay guy' bee I was up ont about who I am om a very early age," says Frixou. The weddg ps a seven-year relatnship that began when the two met through a lleague of Frixou's. Frixou says the civil unn law that paved for Friday's weddg btows all legal rights to gay upl that heterosexual on are entled to, like a widowed partner receivg the pensn of a ceased spoe. The only rtrictn is that the law don't provi for jot adoptn of children for gay upl wishg to have a fay. However, Costas Gavrielis, the print of gay rights group ACCEPT, said do allow for one of the partners to adopt. In spe of s graed nservatism, fluential Greek Orthodox Church and Mederranean machismo, Cyps has ma huge stris on gay rights recent years. "People are g to terms wh the fact that the rights of all people mt be rpected and actually enshred law," said Gavrielis. "Same-sex upl have been given the opportuny to feel legimized," he said. The machery of ernment has stayed step; Gavrielis says a recent Interr Mistry memo stcted employe that civil unn upl are entled to the exact same rights as straight on. Not everyone has been so acceptg. The Church and lol relig groups have been clear their opposn to such civil unns, but have not been as vol agast as activists like Gavrielis expected. "I won't judge the people," said Maros Spetstis, print of the Pancyprian Orthodox Christian Movement (PAHOK), an anizatn that has vociferoly nounced homosexualy as "an unnatural way of beg." "We've ma our effort to prevent this om happeng, but we're not gog to act a way that lat the suatn," he add. What may also acunt for the attu shift is an unrstandg that an ethnilly divid untry where lears preach rpect for the rights of all that laws n't be selective about who's entled to them or not. For all the progrs, there's still a way to go. Social stigma still keeps many closeted, like the 37 year-old man who married his 36-year-old partner last month the untry's first gay marriage. The 37-year-old, who spoke on ndn of anonymy bee he hasn't told his parents yet about his homosexualy said he and his partner wanted to keep the ceremony unr wraps bee they weren't yet ready to e out. He also said he's still wary of a "risk" om the possible reactn of work lleagu and employers if he were to open up about his sexual orientatn. "Cyps has really ma huge stris a short time, but we're still not there yet," he says.