Five gay Dutch-American couples to be married on Amsterdam Gay Pride canal parade

The mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, will marry 5 gay couples on a special boat that will take part in the yearly Gay Pride canal tour in Amsterdam, on August 1.

With the marriage during the canal tour, the organization of Gay Pride wants to promote the idea of gay marriage in the USA. The organization is seeking equality, and allowing gay marriage would solve problems with insurance, retirement funds and inheritance, that gay couples are now experiencing.

A special website has been opened where gay couples can register to be married on the boat: http://www.i-do-iamsterdam.nl.
Of the couples, one must have the Dutch nationality, the other the American nationality.

The gay marriage boat is part of this year's celebration of 400 years connections between New York and Amsterdam. New York used to be a Dutch settlement, called Nieuw Amsterdam, until the British took over. The event is celebrated with various activities in New York and Amsterdam.

The Amsterdam Gay Pride canal tour is always on the first Saturday in August, this year August 1. The tour is one of the biggest events in Amsterdam, and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. About 80 large, decorated boats tour through the Prinsengracht canal (plus 1000's of smaller ones....). It starts at 2pm.

Here is a map with the route of the Amsterdam Gay Pride tour.