Latvia formally passed the legislation last November, following a successful legal challenge by 46 same-sex couples seeking recognition as family units.
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00:00Maxim's Ringo and Janice Locks became the first Latvian same-sex couple to register their partnership on Monday,
00:08shortly after midnight when a new law came into force.
00:12Now, all partnerships will be able to register their relationship under it.
00:17This is the day of our marriage.
00:21And yes, this is a very long-awaited meeting.
00:27The Latvian parliament voted last November to formally legislate same-sex civil unions.
00:35After 46 same-sex couples successfully challenged courts to get recognized as a family unit in the eyes of the law.
00:45This is not only important from a historical point of view,
00:48it is also fundamentally important for the Latvian society,
00:53to say to the truth that there are many people, there are many families,
00:59but all of them are valuable and all of them need to be protected.
01:14This is not only important from a historical point of view,
01:17it is also fundamentally important for the Latvian society,
01:21to say to the truth that there are many people, there are many families,
01:27but all of them are valuable and all of them need to be protected.