Australia’s first same-sex marriage ends in heartbreak after less than 2 months

Australia’s first same-sex married couple’s love story has ended in heartbreak after just 48 days it has been revealed.

Jill Kindt and Jo Grant, who spent eight years together, became the country’s first married same-sex couple on Dec. 15, after marriage equality was legalized nationwide following a public survey, thanks to a waiver of the required 30-day waiting period due to exceptional circumstances.

Grant 48, was terminally ill with a rare form of cancer, and was undergoing palliative care, so time was of the essence. They weren’t sure she would survive to see the law changed.

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“We were relieved when Australia voted yes,” Kindt said of the postal survey. “We weren’t excited, we were actually relieved.”

The couple had been stymied by bureaucracy at various hospitals during Grant’s treatment because they were not married, lending plenty of real world examples for the need for marriage equality.

Grant passed away on Jan. 30.

Attorney General Yvette D’Ath shared the couple’s story in the Queensland Parliament this month, with Grant’s family watching on from the public gallery.

“The photos of their wedding day are very special,” D’Ath said. “Jo was very frail, but you see the love between these two people, and in one shot, Jo’s arms raised triumphantly as she and Jill laugh.”

“Jo’s mum, Sandra, believes the marriage renewed Jo’s spirit, keeping her alive along enough to have one last Christmas with her family,” she continued. “She passed away knowing she got to fulfill her wish to get married to the person she loved.”

“It’s a story of hope that reframes Queensland as a modern, trailblazing state which recognizes equal rights and the most fundamental principle: That love is love,” she added.

Kindt said the couple was “overwhelmed and humbled” by the support they received by so many people whom they didn’t even know.