On July 11, 2005, Emilio Menéndez and Carlos Baturín married at the Town Hall of Tres Cantos, becoming the first same-sex couple to marry legally in Spain.
Emilio Menéndez and Carlos Baturín had been together for three decades when, on July 11, 2005, they said "I do" in the plenary hall of the Town Hall of Tres Cantos. That wedding was not just any wedding: it became the first legal same-sex marriage in Spain, just a day after the equal marriage law came into effect.
The couple, residents of the Madrid locality, did not hesitate for a moment to register to be the first. Tres Cantos was the chosen venue, and news outlets from around the world focused on that ceremony, marking a significant turning point in the civil history of the country.
The councillor who officiated the ceremony
The one who stepped forward to officiate the union was José Luis Martínez Cestao, then a councillor at the Town Hall of Tres Cantos. During the ceremony, he wanted to emphasise the significance of what was happening: that act was not "a mere administrative procedure", but a firm step to "end a series of historical injustices" and make Tres Cantos an "example of equality" on an international level.
His words, recorded in the municipal minutes, reflected the symbolic weight of the moment. What was happening in that hall transcended the local to become a milestone recognised both inside and outside our borders.
A municipality that made history
One of the most notable aspects of this anniversary is precisely where it all took place. Spain's first equal marriage did not occur in the capital Madrid, nor in Barcelona, nor in any other major city, but in Tres Cantos. This is remembered by the local assembly of Izquierda Unida: "Spain's first equal marriage did not happen in a major capital, it happened here, in the town hall of our city, thanks to the struggle of LGTBIQ+ collectives and the determination of the transformative left".
This fact, little known even among those who have lived in the city for years, places Tres Cantos in a prominent position within the memory of civil rights in Spain. The locality thus joins other milestones that marked the social evolution of the country in the last two decades.
21 years later, an anniversary that invites reflection
Two decades and one more have passed since that wedding that opened the news broadcasts. In this time, equal marriage has become normalised in Spanish society, but remembering the origin of this social achievement still makes sense for those who lived through those years of change. For the residents of Tres Cantos, the anniversary takes on added value: it helps new generations learn about the history of their own municipality.
Many residents who now stroll through the streets of Tres Cantos may be unaware that, behind the walls of the Town Hall, a page was written that would later be repeated in hundreds of cities across Spain. 21 years later, Tres Cantos remains, for those who know this story, the city where Spain took a decisive step towards legal equality for all couples, regardless of their sexual orientation.
The commemoration of this anniversary also serves to name and face the protagonists: Emilio Menéndez and Carlos Baturín, the couple who decided to take the step; and José Luis Martínez Cestao, the councillor who accompanied them at the civil altar. Three names that are forever linked to a date, July 11, 2005, and to a city, Tres Cantos.
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