[ISL] "Pitcairn Island passes gay marriage but has no wedding plans"

[rfmcdonald]

Towleroad linked to Nick Perry's Associated Press article reporting how, despite an apparent dearth of gay people, Pitcairn Island now has same-sex marriage.

Pitcairn Deputy Governor Kevin Lynch said Monday the new law came into effect May 15 but initially wasn't published online after the island's website encountered some technical issues. He said the change was suggested by British authorities after England, Wales and Scotland legalized same-sex marriage last year. He said the law change was unanimously approved by the local council.

Seventh-generation resident Meralda Warren said there haven't been any same-sex marriages since the law passed and she doesn't know of any gay couples wanting to wed. As with most law changes, she said, a notice was put up on the verandah of the town hall and a second at the island's general store.

"It's not Pitcairn Islanders that were pushing for it," she said. "But it's like anything else in the world. It's happening everywhere else, so why not?"

She said it wasn't even a point of discussion until the outside world began catching up on the news in the last few days.

"I kind of cracked up when I saw the Google alert in my inbox," she said. "I scanned down, and smiled again, and thought 'We've kept that one quiet for a couple of months.'"