Gay Mounties Tie The Knot

By Alison Ault
From CNEWS

YARMOUTH, N.S. (CP) - Ronnie Devine doesn't know what the fuss is about. While cleaning his lobster boat Friday, the fisherman said he doesn't understand why people are still talking about the marriage of two gay Mounties in this bustling fishing port.

"It doesn't bother me one bit," he said as other fishermen were busy getting their boats ready to set sail.

"As long as they're doing their jobs properly, I couldn't care less about it."

The marriage Friday of the two Nova Scotia constables, held during a private ceremony at a downtown hotel, marked the country's first same-sex marriage between male Mounties in their trademark scarlet tunics.

Constables Jason Tree, 27, and David Connors, 28, recited their own vows before a justice of the peace and about 100 guests.

But the function was strictly off limits to the public.

A sign at the hotel read: Private function by invitation only. Staff at the front desk refused to talk about the event, and a screen made of white sheets was set up to keep onlookers from seeing anyone moving between the lobby to the convention centre where the ceremony was to be held.

Ken Spragg, a guest at the ceremony, called the wedding another step toward gays being treated like everyone else.

"I got to see them take the vows that other people have taken for granted," he told reporters after the service. "So many don't understand what it means to have that opportunity."

Spragg said the fact the gay couple can do what everyone else can do "is really gratifying."

Russell Robichaud, another guest, said the service was relaxed and Tree and Connors looked great in their uniforms "and couldn't stop smiling."

The couple has said they never intended to stir up controversy.

Tree admitted to being flummoxed by the steady stream of calls from well-wishers and media outlets across North America.

"I fail to see why it gathers the attention it does," he said in an interview days before the ceremony.

"It's something I'd like to keep private."

He refused to reveal any details and requested that reporters stay away. Still, about dozen journalists and photographers staked out the ceremony but were not allowed in and never got a glimpse of the couple.

People in this community of 8,000 seemed nonplussed by the event.

Most townsfolk groaned, laughed and then rolled their eyes when asked about the couple, who have been nicknamed the Brokeback Mounties.

"It's not really for me, but that's their business," said an elderly man who didn't want to be named.

One man strolling past a coffee shop on Main Street said he wasn't sure what to make of an issue that has been a hot topic of conversation in a town best known for its prized lobster fishery.

In the end, he said, it didn't sit well with him.

"I'm an Adam and Eve kind of guy, but if you want to go and do that, go and do it on your own," he said, refusing to give his name.

But others said they were pleased for the couple, who have been together for more than eight years and have patrolled the area for years.

"It don't bother me," said Daniel Doucette, 59. "They've got a job and they've got to work just like us and if they want to get married, that's up to them."

Liberal MP Robert Thibault, who represents the area, congratulated the couple and praised their courage for proclaiming their love so publicly. He said he hasn't heard complaints from his constituents.

"I wish them very well," he said. "The total number of calls to my office expressing concern has been zero. The community seems to have accepted it."

Gay-rights activists have latched onto the story, hoping the marriage will make people across the country look differently at the stereotypically rugged Mountie - an icon in Canadian lore.

Politicians have stepped into the fray as they prepare for a free vote this fall on the issue of same-sex marriage after it was recognized by Parliament a year ago.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said he will hold the vote to determine whether there is an appetite to revisit legislation giving homosexuals the right to marry.

In a bid to avoid controversy, Harper recently muzzled his MPs, ordering them not to comment on the marriage of the two Mounties.

Tree has said he had no interest in making a political statement. Still, he said he would be pleased if his marriage helps other same-sex couples come forward.

"I certainly like the positive message that's out there because if we can help one person deal with their relationship or their sexuality, that's great, but our goal was to get married," he said.