Amsterdam celebrates 25 years since the world's first same-sex weddings

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The Dutch capital marked the 25th anniversary of the world's first gay marriages with three same-sex couples tying the knot at City Hall early Wednesday. The celebration, conducted by Mayor Femke Halsema just after midnight, came a quarter of a century after one of her predecessors, Job Cohen, married four couples in a landmark ceremony for LGBTQ+ rights that paved the way for similar legislation in nearly 40 countries around the world. Same-sex weddings are commonplace now in the Netherlands. Since 2001, more than 36,000 same-sex couples have married, according to the country's official statistics office. Prime Minister Rob Jetten, the country's first openly gay leader, is planning to soon marry his partner Nicolás Keenan, an Argentine field hockey star who won a bronze medal with his country's team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. "As a prime minister, I'm very proud that we celebrate 25 years of universal marriage here in the Netherlands,'' Jetten told The Associated Press at the overnight ceremony. ''Also for me personally, I can still remember when I was 14 years old watching TV, seeing the first couples getting married here in Amsterdam. That was also very inspiring and emancipating for me, personally, as it has been for so many others,'' he said. The U.S. Supreme Court recognized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015, after many states had already done so. One study last year estimated that there are more than 800,000 same-sex married couples in the U.S. Amy Quinn and her wife, Heather Jensen, were among the first to be married in New Jerseywhen it became recognized there in 2013. Quinn said it was important because they were considering having a child and their lawyer told them it would help if they were married because that would mean both women could have their names on the birth certificate, sign school records and have hospital visitation rights. "It's shocking to me in terms of really how recently we got it," said Quinn, the deputy mayor of Asbury Park, New Jersey. The U.S.-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign has identified legislation in at least nine U.S. states for current or recent sessions seeking to undo legal recognition of same-sex marriages. Most would call on the U.S. Supreme Court to undo its 2015 decision recognizing the unions. The measures have not advanced, and even if they did, they couldn't force the court to change course. "I don't think it's a time for people to be afraid," said Kelley Robinson, president of the U.S.-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. "It's a time to be aware, to protect our families, to protect our kids and to protect our lives." Large parts of the world — particularly in Asia and Africa — have not legalized same-sex marriage and some countries are becoming more repressive. Senegal's president signed a law Monday that toughens punishment for homosexuality in the latest African country to impose harsh penalties against the LGBTQ+ community. Conservatives in the U.S. have also challenged laws banning "conversion therapy" for LGBTQ+ children. The Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with the objectors, saying that a ban in Colorado raises free-speech concerns and should be weighed by a lower court. Philip Tijsma, spokesperson for the main Dutch LGBTQ+ advocacy group COC, said that while the silver anniversary was a moment to reflect and celebrate, the Netherlands has slipped behind other nations in its support for the LGBTQ+ community. "We have become a little bit lazy," he said, adding that other European nations now have stronger transgender legislation. He said that in the Netherlands LGBTQ people are still bullied in schools and harassed on the street for holding hands. There's been a strong backlash in the U.S. in recent years against rights of transgender people especially. Most states have banned transgender women and girls from at least some women's and girls' sports competitions and barred some gender-affirming health care for children and youth. Restrictions on puberty-blocking drugs, hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries have also expanded elsewhere. U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration have pushed for restrictions on transgender people. Despite challenges, the mood at Amsterdam's ceremony was giddy. Gert Kasteel and Dolf Pasker were among those taking part. They married that landmark day of April 1, 2001. ''We're very happy!″ Kasteel said. ''It's unbelievable, 25 years,'' Pasker said. ''It's so beautiful that there's so much attention for it.''