Sunday, November 15, 2009

The Future of Gay Marriage in Latin America Begins in Argentina - BY MICHAEL A. JONES

Gay marriage will become reality in Latin America, that's a fact. The only question is where it will happen first. Several countries have taken bold steps toward LGBT rights in the past few years, from Uruguay to Colombia. But this week Argentina took the boldest step of all, with an Argentine judge paving the way for Latin America's first legally recognized gay marriage.

The judge, Gabriela Seijas, ordered the city of Buenos Aires to recognize the marriage of two men, Alejandro Freyre and Jose Maria Di Bello, who had sued the city's registry for failing to recognize their relationship as a marriage. In her ruling, Judge Seijas said, "The law should treat each person with equal respect in relation to each person's singularities without the need to understand or regulate them."

But the best quote of the day went to the mayor of Buenos Aires, who despite being part of a political party that is often reticent on LGBT rights, said that he would not stop the judge's ruling from taking effect.

"The world is heading in this direction," said Mayor Mauricio Macri. "What we have to learn is to live in liberty without violating the rights of others." Anybody want to see if this guy wants to be a politician up here in the U.S.?

The ruling, while historic, certainly isn't final. The decision can be appealed by other bodies, and the Catholic Church in Argentina, as the Catholic Church has done pretty much everywhere it exists, blasted gays and lesbians as if they were the Bubonic plague. Argentina is 91 percent Catholic, making it one of the most Catholic countries in the entire region. Read complete article – BY MICHAEL A. JONES


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