|
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| Elton John, left, with David
Furnish |
Rock star Elton John is tying the
knot with longtime partner David Furnish Wednesday, in a
civil union ceremony seen as a watershed in the struggle for gay rights -
and as the party of the season by celebrity-spotters.
Thousands of fans are expected to mob the cobbled streets around
Windsor's town hall, the Guildhall, where Prince Charles and Camilla
Parker Bowles wed in April.
Police erected security barriers outside the sturdy building of brick
and Portland stone partly designed by Christopher Wren, but expected no
trouble.
"It's not a major police operation - it's not a royal wedding," Windsor
police spokeswoman Sue Mahoney said. "The general atmosphere seems to be
jolly, very good humored."
Windsor is a centuries-old seat of British royalty west of London.
John and Furnish are the most prominent of hundreds of same-sex couples
planning to form civil partnerships in England and Wales on Wednesday, the
first day that such ceremonies become possible. Ceremonies were held
earlier this week in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Gay rights activists see the unions as joyous - and important in
advancing efforts to give same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual
ones. Peter Tatchell, spokesman for the gay and lesbian human rights group
OutRage! said the wedding "would raise the profile of gay love and
commitment."
"Their same-sex civil partnership ceremony will be reported all over
the world including in countries where news about gay issues is normally
never reported," he said. "This will give hope to millions of isolated,
vulnerable, lesbian and gay people especially those living in repressive
and homophobic countries."
Furnish, a Canadian-born filmmaker, and John have been together for 12
years.
The couple plans a low-key private ceremony, with only John's mother
and stepfather and Furnish's parents expected to attend. The reception, by
contrast, is expected to be a star-studded extravaganza costing an estimated 1 million
pounds (US$1.75 million, euro1.4 million).
(Agencies) | 
Updated: 2005-12-21 17:00
