Before France legalized same-sex marriage on May 18 of this year, the French people and Google decided to take matters into their own hands—and computers.
French same-sex couples were not allowed to marry until less than a month ago. But one couple got a phone call that changed their lives:
“Actually, there is a way you can get married in France by a Belgian mayor … because in Belgium same-sex marriage is legal.”
Google had decided to create a video conference system called Tous Unis Pour l’Egalité (Together for Equality) to allow Mayor Eric Lomba of Marchin, Belgium, to marry same-sex couples online in countries where it had not yet been legalized.
Though the marriages performed via this system are only legal in Belgium right now, many French couples plan to get their marriages legalized in France now that they are able to.
“This isn’t just a message of love. It’s a message of hope,” Jacques Michaut and Pierre le Corre say in the video. “Happiness is the only thing that grows when we share it.”
Video: Tous Unis Pour l’Egalité/YouTube