On Thursday, Mayor Greg Ballard married a gay couple in his final act as mayor of Indianapolis.

The ceremony uniting Jonathan Clifford and Juan Silva was held at a local bookstore, and marked the first time a mayor of the city has married same-sex partners.

"For nearly 15 years, Juan and Jon have known and loved one another,” Ballard said at the intimate gathering. "They have stood side by side, through joy and through loss. They have nourished and nursed one another. They have shared their lives together and their love with their families.

“Now," the mayor said, “they can complete this bond.”

The men, who are both in their 50s, asked Ballard, a Republican, to officiate after being inspired by his support of gay rights, and his willingness to step away from GOP positions.

"We told him we understood that this could be controversial for him," recalls Clifford. "We told him that we know this issue is very personal to a lot of people, and that we understood if he wasn’t comfortable with it. We’re very happy that he was."

Indiana has been a battleground state for LGBT rights, with a divisive religious freedom law passing earlier this year, and Sen. Jim Tomes authoring a new bill banning trans people from using the bathroom matching their gender identity.

Still, more than 60% of state voters support civil rights for LGBT community.

Mayor Joe Hogsett took office on January 1, 2016.