Melissa Ray

Melissa Ray
Personal information
Full name Melissa Ray
Date of birth (1984-04-25) 25 April 1984 (age 42)
International career‡
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2009 New Zealand 8 (0)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:53, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

Melissa Ray (born 25 April 1984) is an association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.

Ray made her Football Ferns début as a substitute in 9-0 World Cup qualifier win over Cook Islands on 9 April 2003, and finished her international career with eight caps to her credit.

Ray was one of the first New Zealand LGBT+ citizens to marry her then partner, Tash Vitali, after the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill entered into law. The wedding made international news, but the marriage ended a year later.

References

  1. 1 2 "Caps 'n' Goals, New Zealand Women's national representatives". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
  2. ↑ "Football Ferns - Line-ups". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
  3. ↑ "Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill - New Zealand Parliament". parliament.nz. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  4. ↑ Collins, Simon. (26 July 2013). Sadness mars lesbian couple's big day. New Zealand Herald.
  5. ↑ (19 August 2013). New Zealand gay couples hold first weddings. BBC News.
  6. ↑ Collins, Simon. (16 July 2014). Same-sex marriage pioneers split. New Zealand Herald.