Alexandra Chavez and Michelle Aviles have made history in conservative Ecuador by becoming the first couple to take advantage of a new law allowing same-sex marriage. Chavez, 41, and Aviles, 23, were married in a civil ceremony in the southwestern city of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest, on Thursday. It became possible after Ecuador’s Constitutional Court approved same-sex marriage on June 12. Chavez, a burly security guard, admitted to feeling scared that the day might be ruined by conservative protesters, who had demanded the dismissal of the Constitutional Court’s judges following last month’s decision. “I feel more supported by the laws. I know that many people don’t think it’s a good thing … but we’re not hurting anyone, we’re not depriving anyone of anything, and it’s a normal life,” said Aviles, a kitchen hand.