Lawmaker to fly across Australia to wed after midnight under nation’s first gay marriage law

CANBERRA, Australia – A state lawmaker and his partner plan to fly 3,500 kilometres (2,200 miles) across Australia to become one of the nation’s first same-sex couples to legally marry at an after-midnight ceremony in the Australian capital.

Stephen Dawson, a member of the opposition Labor Party in the Western Australian Parliament, and partner Dennis Liddelow are among at least two gay couples planning ceremonies in Canberra at 12:01 a.m. Saturday — the earliest opportunity under the provincial government’s landmark gay marriage laws.

Australia’s first gay marriages could be short lived, with the High Court to rule Thursday on a federal government challenge to the validity of the Australian Capital Territory law.

Dawson says he and his partner decided on the late-night wedding so that they could be married as long as possible.

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