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KAREN Dawber and Sue Atkinson with their five-year-old adopted daughter Ellie at the service.
Gay wedding cements 17 years of love
Emma Fitzgerald29/12/2005
AFTER 17 years together Karen Dawber and Sue Atkinson were finally able to cement their relationship as they became the first same-sex couple in Salford to tie the knot.
Unlike Elton John's lavish wedding with David Furnish, Karen and Sue's Civil Partnership at Swinton Register Office was a more low-key affair.
The couple, from Little Hulton, were among 20 same-sex couples who rushed to book their partnerships as soon as they became legal on December 5.
The partnerships give gay couples every right and every privilege that straight couples get when they marry, including next-of-kin rights, tax and inheritance rights and rights in relation to a partner's children.
Karen and Sue, who have a five-year-old adopted daughter Ellie, previously sealed their relationship with a partnership ceremony in Manchester in 2003, followed by a reception for family and friends, but the service had no legal meaning.
This time the service was attended by just two witnesses - Sue's two children from a previous relationship, Claire and Matt Atkinson - and the couple's five-year-old adopted daughter Ellie.
Karen, 34, said: "It feels a bit surreal really. It's just nice to know if something happens to me then Sue will be OK.
"It's not just about sexuality, it's about a statement by the government that says 'this is a normal way of life'. It's not about being homosexual or heterosexual, it's about an acknowledgement that people who are different are equal to everyone else."
Karen believes those who have protested against the ceremonies need to "get a life".
She said: "Gay women don't get as much negative harassment as gay men, but generally people are too hung up about what people do in the bedroom.
"Thankfully these protesters are in the minority and most people have been very positive and pleasant."
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30/12/2005 at 19:36
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