Colorado's Polis weds longtime partner in first same-sex marriage of U.S. governor

Colorado Governor Jared Polis, the nation's first openly gay man to be elected governor, has tied the knot with his partner of 18 years Marlon Reis in a traditional Jewish ceremony attended by close family and friends.

The marriage between Polis, a Democrat, and first gentleman Reis, a writer and animal advocate, marks the first same-sex wedding of a sitting governor.

"The greatest lesson we have learned over the past 18 months is that life as we know it can change in an instant," Polis wrote in a Twitter post. "We are thankful for the opportunity to celebrate our life together as a married couple."

Polis and Reis both contracted COVID-19 last year and Reis was briefly hospitalized in December. The couple, who got engaged late last year, are parents to two children age 7 and 9, according to a statement from Polis' office.

A 2015 landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

While LGBTQ people remain "severely" underrepresented, the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials in the United States has increased by 17% between June 2020 and June 2021, according to areport by the LGBTQ Victory Institute.

Earlier this year, Pete Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Indiana and presidential candidate, became the first openly gay U.S. Cabinet secretary confirmed by lawmakers.