Mexico City legalises gay marriages

December 22, 2009Lawmakers in the municipality of Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, became the first to approve gay marriage in Latin America yesterday, despite opposition from conservative groups and the Catholic Church.

"It was approved overall by 39 votes in favor and twenty against, with five abstentions," said a spokesman for David Razu, the bill's chief sponsor. Razu proposed the bill to allow same-sex couples to have the same access as heterosexual married couples to social security and other benefits.

Some cities in countries in Latin America, such as Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador permit homosexual civil unions, Uruguay permits civil unions throughout the country as well as adoption, and last month a court in Argentina blocked a bill proposing gay marriage; the country's Supreme Court has yet to make the final ruling.

Spokesman Oscar Oliver said that the next step for the capital's lawmakers was to use a measure in the bill intended to permit adoption for same-sex married couples.