General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy this photo of political spouses and partners is making waves
(CNN)What's the first thing you noticed about this picture of political spouses and partners, other than Melania Trump's continued mastery of the color black?
It's probably the man in the back row, standing out against the nine women pictured. That's Gauthier Destenay, the First Gentleman of Luxembourg and the husband of the world's only acting openly gay prime minister.
Destenay and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel wed in 2015, right after Luxembourg legalized gay marriage. When Bettel won the Prime Ministership in 2013, he was already in a civil partnership with Destenay and their sexualities were not a secret.
To be clear, Bettel isn't the only gay prime minister ever, just the only one in office right now. Former Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo and former Icelandic Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurõardóttir were both public about their sexualities.
Can you name the rest of the people in this photograph? We'll help you out:
First row: First Lady of France Brigitte Macron, First Lady of Turkey Emine Gulbaran Erdogan, First Lady of the US Melania Trump, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg's partner Ingrid Schulerud, Partner of Bulgaria's President Desislava Radeva, partner of Belgium's Prime Minister Amelie Derbaudrenghien
Second row: First Gentleman of Luxembourg Gauthier Destenay, partner of Slovenia's Prime Minister Mojca Stropnik, and First Lady of Iceland Thora Margret Baldvinsdottir.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/26/world/luxembourg-prime-minister-husband-gauthier-destenay-trnd/index.html
I was expecting more men in this photo. There are a lot of female leaders in Europe.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Why is he doing that?
"That's Gauthier Destenay, the First Gentleman of Luxembourg and the husband of the world's only acting openly gay prime minister."
Oh, well, as the saying goes... I don't mind straight people, just as long as they act gay in public.
Did they make that a rule in Luxembourg?
IronLionZion
(45,540 posts)since he's not an acting PM either, he's a regular PM.
jehop61
(1,735 posts)to tell Melania it wasn't a cocktail party
leftstreet
(36,116 posts)er...this was just for female spouses? But the gay spouse isn't female.
I'm confused.
IronLionZion
(45,540 posts)UK, Germany, Norway, and Poland should have male spouses.
underpants
(182,904 posts)IronLionZion
(45,540 posts)IronLionZion
(45,540 posts)or Jane Sanders in an ideal world
matt819
(10,749 posts)snooper2
(30,151 posts)LOL
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)She is actually drop dead gorgeous, I think I have a crush on her.
AND..she is 30 years older than her husband, used to be his school teacher!
viva le France, indeed.
Tracer
(2,769 posts)All the other women are in "daytime" dresses and Melania looks like she is about to go to a nighttime soirée.