NEWLYWEDS: Edward Pope (left) and Ruben Tanoira

  • NEWLYWEDS: Edward Pope (left) and Ruben Tanoira

Former Arkansan Edward Pope married Ruben Tanoira in Buenos Aires on Aug. 20.

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Pope said his immigration attorney believes he was the first American man to marry in Argentina after the country reformed its marriage laws July 14 to allow people of the same sex to marry.

Pope, 53, is a graduate of the former Northeast High School in North Little Rock, the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and the American University law school. He was a staff assistant to U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers from 1979 to 1985 and a U.S. foreign service officer from 1985 to 1996. Before moving to Buenos Aires in 2009, he had lived in southern California, where he worked in real estate sales, acting and modeling. He is the son of Margaret Hartley of North Little Rock and the late Carl Pope. They were married at a city hall branch and had a reception later at the Museum of Decorative Arts.

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Tanoira, 44, is a professional translator and an employee of Aerolineas Argentinas, the national airline of Argentina. They will live in Buenos Aires.

I made reference to this marriage earlier and the inability of the Pope family to place a marriage announcement in the statewide daily newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Its published marriage policies say marriage notices must be submitted at least 10 days before a wedding, but they also say notices submitted more than 20 days after a wedding will not be published. Pope’s mother said she submitted an e-mail about the marriage about a week afterward, but never heard back from the newspaper. The newspaper’s policies also state that it prefers to publish only photographs of brides. No photograph was submitted. I don’t know if the Democrat-Gazette has a formal policy on publication of marriages from other states and countries. I’ve asked.

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As a courtesy to those who might be barred from other publications, the Arkansas Times invites Arkansans and former Arkansans who marry same-sex partners in states and countries where it is legal to submit announcements for publication here.

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