Let the weddings begin for Mexico City gay couples

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Gay couples converged at Mexico City government offices Thursday to apply for marriage licenses under a new law that gives same-sex pairs permission to wed and adopt children.

Fiercely opposed by the Roman Catholic Church, the law applies only to the Mexican capital and is the most permissive in Latin America. Conservative political parties and the federal government have said they will fight in courts to overturn the law.

For the happy couples, however, this was a historic moment that many said gave them a sense of freedom and belonging they had long missed. Actual weddings will begin late next week, officials said.

You can read about passage of the law late last year in The Times, plus our editorial on the matter.

-- Tracy Wilkinson in Mexico City