Ontario became the third jurisdiction in the world (after the Netherlands and Belgium) as well as the first jurisdiction in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage. The first legal same-sex marriage registered in Ontario was that of Paula Barrero and Blanca Mejias, married by banns at the Emmanuel Howard Park United Church on September 29, 2001 and registered the same year. The officiant was Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo (who later served as MPP for Parkdale–High Park from 2006 to 2017). The Office of the Registrar General apparently did not recognize the names as both being women and issued a marriage certificate. The marriage licence form requested only the names of the bride and groom, not the sex of the applicants.