Mexico City passes full same-sex marriage law

by Anthony Glassman

Mexico, D.F.--The legislature of the Mexican capital voted on December 20 to allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children, just weeks after Washington, D.C. also approved same-sex marriage.

The Federal District of Mexico, more commonly referred to as Mexico City, is a megalopolis of 20 million people. Its legislature is controlled by progressives who turned aside opposition from the Catholic church in changing the laws.

The two issues were passed separately.

In the first, the legislature voted by a two-to-one margin to define a civil marriage as the ?free union of two people,? not just that of a man and a woman.

The second vote allowed same-sex couples to adopt children. This passed 31 to 24, with nine legislators abstaining.

Mayor Marcelo Ebrard is expected to approve the legislation.

Legislators faced opposition to the proposals from members of the National Action Party, the conservative party led by President Felipe Calderon. The party has threatened to sue if Ebrard does not veto the legislation.

Mexico, D.F. legalized civil union two years, as well as abortion. The lifting of the abortion ban brought a backlash from other Mexican states, but the civil union measure went largely uncontested, and only 680 couples have registered under it.

The city?s legislature is dominated by members of the Democratic Revolution Party, known in Spanish as the PRD. The PRD?s stances are often at odds with the rest of the nation, but far more in line with western European values.

Opponents had sought a referendum on the legislation instead of its passage by legislators, citing their own surveys showing overwhelming opposition to the changes. However, an independent survey by the La Reforma newspaper showed the populace fairly evenly divided on the matter.

?For centuries, unfair laws prohibited marriage between whites and blacks, between Europeans and Indians, said Victor Hugo Romo, a PRD legislator. ?Today, all the barriers have disappeared.?

?Mexico City has put itself in the vanguard,? he continued, according to the Los Angeles Times. ?This is a historic day.?

In addition to Mexico, D.F. and Washington, D.C., all of Canada allows full same-sex marriage, meaning the capitals of the three largest North American nations will all allow gay nuptials.

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