Polis, 1st openly gay governor elected, marries in Colorado

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado’s Jared Polis, who became the first openly gay man in the United States to be elected governor in 2018, has married his longtime partner and first gentleman Marlon Reis, a writer and animal welfare advocate.

Polis, 46, and Reis, 40, were married in a traditional Jewish ceremony attended by family and friends in Boulder on Wednesday, the governor’s office said. Rabbi Tirzah Firestone officiated.

They have been together for 18 years and have two children, a 7-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl. The family lives in Boulder.

Polis, a Democrat, and Reis were engaged in December as Reis was preparing to be hospitalized after contracting COVID-19. Reis was released from the hospital after two days. Polis also caught the coronavirus but had only mild symptoms.

“The greatest lesson we have learned over the past eighteen months is that life as we know it can change in an instant,” the couple said in a statement. “We are thankful for the health and wellbeing of our family and friends, and the opportunity to celebrate our life together as a married couple.”