This week Mexico’s top court ruled that all 31 provinces would have to recognize same-sex marriages performed in Mexico City. But our neighbor to the south isn’t the only Latin nation advancing toward marriage equality: Uruguay’s Chamber of Deputies is set to vote on the legalization of gay marriages on December 11.
With the measure likely to pass, it would then go before the senate by the fall of 2013.
Uruguay became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex civil unions, back in 2007. And eEarlier this year, the government approved recognition of same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.
The Argentina Independent notes there is some dispute about name order for children in same-sex families, but the issue should be resolved by next week.
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Marriage equality is also under consideration in Colombia, where a bill legalizing same-sex nuptials passed a preliminary vote on Tuesday. Not surprisingly, there is ample opposition from conservatives there: After the vote, Senator Edgar Espíndola claimed the measure would open the door to bestiality, necrophilia and pedophilia.
Oh c’mon, Sen. Espíndola—can’t you at least be original? It’s always the bestiality with you people.
Thom in MD
It’s beginning to look like most of the countries in North, South and Central America will have marriage equality before the US does.
Ken
Mexico has states, not provinces.
Ken
Homosexuality is about people of the SAME sex. Heterosexuality is about people of DIFFERENT sexes. Bestiality is about DIFFERENT species. If bestiality were the “next step,” it would be the next step from heterosexuality. So by his “reasoning,” we should ban heterosexual marriage.
Dakotahgeo
The Fundamentalists/Conservatives are always obsessed with beastiality… maybe we should be watching THEM!!!??!!!
Sobretodo
I am skeptical about Mexico. 90% of the population is Catholic, the church’s most intolerant wing is consolidating its power and the party that ruled with an iron fist for 70 years is back in power. Homophobia in Mexico is rampant to the point where the police will arrest two men holding hands. I seriously doubt marriage equality will happen in Mexico this decade or the next.
viveutvivas
Well, legally, it sounds as if Mexico now has federal marriage equality already. Marry in D.F. and your marriage is valid all over Mexico. Socially it is of course a different story, but you know that the U.S. is not much better. Try holding hands anywhere but certain parts of liberal cities in the U.S. and see what happens. Even Facebook still bans images of men kissing when they catch people sharing them.
2eo
@Dakotahgeo: They literally believe man frolicked and f*cked dinosaurs.
They are as delusional as people get.
trilingual1946
In Mexico it’s apparently up to the states to determine marriage requirements, just like in the U.S. The D.F. (Mexico City) now has marriage equality and, according to a recent article, Oaxaca may be next. Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that all states must recognize the legal marriages of the other states. The U.S. Supreme Court should do the same thing here under the Full Faith and Credit clause of the Constitution.
Argentina now has marriage equality nationwide — it was the first Latin American country to completely adopt it. It is now also the law in Brazil, but administering it is up to the states, which have to adopt regulations covering the process for registering a same-sex marriage. A number of states have already done that, including São Paulo, the largest. The others should do that during the coming year. Until that happens, residents of states without regulations can register their civil unions and then ask a family court judge to convert it to marriage. In states with regulations people can just go directly to registry offices and register their marriage or upgrade an existing civil union.
Uruguay and Colombia would be welcome members of the marriage equality club. It’s interesting that the impetus for marriage equality has been so strong in predominantly or strongly Catholic countries. Spain, Portugal and Belgium are predominantly Catholic. The Netherlands is about evenly divided (the south is mostly Catholic). In Canada the push for marriage equality really started in Quebec, which is predominantly Catholic. Now the predominantly Catholic Latin American countries are getting on board, including Brazil, the largest Catholic country in the world, and Mexico, the largest Spanish-speaking country. More will follow!