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DENISE Simmons, America’s first black lesbian mayor, yesterday married her long-time partner Mattie B Hayes at the historic St Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

She said it has “been serving Cambridge’s African-American community for over 100 years”. Simmons, who made history last year when she became the first black openly lesbian mayor of an American city, believed it may have been the “very first” mainstream African-American church “to hold a same-gender wedding, and that’s something that just wouldn’t have happened years ago. But times are changing (and) people are becoming more accepting of their fellow citizens.” The ceremony was officiated by the Reverend Irene Monroe, a progressive black lesbian Episcopal minister, activist and columnist. — DDC