Monday, December 21, 2009

Mexico City, Gay Marriage and a Latin American First - BY MICHAEL A. JONES – Gay Rights/Change.org

Wow, what a week it has been for North American capital cities! First there was Washington, D.C.'s move last week to legalize same-sex marriage, with Mayor Adrian Fenty signing the marriage equality bill on Friday inside D.C.'s historic All Souls Unitarian Church.

And now, Mexico City returns the favor by becoming the first Latin American city to pass legislation recognizing same-sex marriage. A vote today by the capital's local assembly, 39 votes in favor of marriage equality and 20 against, means that Mexico City not only becomes the first locale south of the Mason Dixon line to recognize gay marriage -- it becomes the first area south of the U.S. to do so.

And that has Mexican LGBT activists smiling pretty darn wide. Talk about the ultimate gift for the holidays! And the perfect stocking stuffer to accompany it? The local assembly also voted to allow adoption by same-sex couples, delivering two big doses of civil rights.

Mexico City's mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, is widely expected to sign the bill despite opposition by conservative groups and the Catholic Church. Today's vote is also somewhat of a slap to Buenos Aires, which came within inches of being the first Latin American city to recognize marriage equality earlier this month. Save for one anti-gay judge, Buenos Aires would have beat Mexico City by about three weeks…Read complete article - BY MICHAEL A. JONESGay Rights/Change.org

photo - AFP

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