Gays and lesbians will have the legal right to marry in California, beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern time today. But it’s probably not a good idea for them to try it in Paraguay. A same-sex couple got arrested after exchanging vows in the landlocked South American country.

The Associated Press

ASUNCION, Paraguay: A same-sex couple has been jailed for getting married in Paraguay. A prosecutor says two women passed themselves off as heterosexual for their civil wedding.

The two were found out when they tried to have a religious ceremony as well and the priest realized that the groom was still a woman. Paraguay does not recognize same-sex marriages.

Catalina Vera allegedly dressed as a man and presented documents with the name Jesus Alejandro Martinez.

Vera plans to have an operation to become physically male, but prosecutor Jose Planas said Monday that the groom is still a woman for now, and therefore faces up to five years in prison for falsifying documents.

He said bride Blanca Estigarribia could be charged as an accomplice.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 2:49 pm and is filed under Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.