Mexico City: Mexico City's legislature
has approved gay marriage, an aide to a city lawmaker told
agency, in the first such law passed anywhere in Latin America.
"It was approved overall by 39 votes in favour and 20
against, with five abstentions," said a spokesman for the
bill's chief sponsor, assemblyman Davi Razu.
Spokesman Oscar Oliver said the city's majority
leftist legislators also defeated an opposition amendment to
the gay marriage bill that would have prevented same-sex
couples from adopting children.
"For centuries, unjust laws prohibited marriage
between whites and blacks or Europeans and (indigenous)
Indians," Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) lawmaker Victor
Romo said.
"Today all those barriers have come down."
The new measure modified a civil union law already on
the books in Mexico City, as in other Latin American nations
including Uruguay and Colombia.
In Argentina the Supreme Court is to rule on a
court-approved gay marriage that was challenged earlier this
month.
The Mexico City law changes the meaning of marriage
from "a free union between a man and a woman" to "a free union
between two people."
Mexico City's gay marriage bill was fully backed by
lawmakers from the PRD, which has ruled Mexico's sprawling
capital since 1997. It was opposed by the country's ruling
National Action Party.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 09:03