Gay marriage closer to reality in Mexico

Mexico City on Tuesday formally put on the books a law allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children, with Mayor Marcelo Ebrard rejecting demands he veto the controversial measure.

The law was published in the official government newspaper, and will go into effect in 45 days. It was passed by a comfortable margin by this sprawling capital's legislature last week.

The conservative National Action Party, which controls the federal government, and the Roman Catholic Church have both condemned the law as an affront to the traditional family. Both wanted to block it.

Using Christmas season celebrations as their platform, senior church officials decried the law as "immoral." "We have seen with impotence, pain and consternation ... [this] blow to the most intimate structure of Mexican families, the institution over which our nation has built its rich history, values and spirituality," Cardinal Norberto Rivera said.

Meanwhile, what is being billed as the first gay marriage in Latin America has taken place. In the extreme southern region of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego, gay rights activists Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre tied the knot on Monday after a court in Buenos Aires blocked their attempt at marital bliss. Read more about it here.

-- Tracy Wilkinson in Mexico City

Comments

[Melanie]

I think that the church and some of the crazy "moral crusaders" have much more to worry about in Mexico than gay marriage! I think that there is much more that is "disintegrating" society than marriage equality.

[Joe Mustich, JP]

Kudos to Mexico City. And kudos to CT where we just celebrated the one year anniversary of our marriage equality law on 11/12. Onward to equality, Joe Mustich, Justice of the Peace, Washington, Connecticut, USA.

[Luke]

Good for Mexico City. Hopefully other Latin American states will follow suit. The Catholic Church should do something about truly important matters, you know, like violence due to drug trafficking, the AIDS pandemic in Africa, sexual harassment under its own roof...?