From Jason Shaw:

Mexico City has become the first city in Latin America to legalise gay marriage, giving same sex couples a lot more rights, including allowing them to adopt children. The bill was passed the capital’s local ruling assembly by 39 votes to 20 on Monday 21 December, the city’s mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, of the Democratic Revolution party, had been tipped for some time to sign the measure and make it into law.

The bill called for a change of the definition of marriage in the city’s civil code, it’s was defined as the union of a man and a woman, the new wording will be “the free uniting of two people”. This amendment will enable gay couples to adopt, apply for bank loans, inherit wealth, be included in the insurance policies of their partner, all rights that were denied under the cities civil union laws.

“We are so happy,” said campaigning film student,Temistocles Villanueva, outside the city assembly after the law was passed, similar thoughts and sentiment was expressed by gays and lesbians all over the city.

“For centuries, unjust laws banned marriage between blacks and whites or Indians and Europeans. Today, all barriers have disappeared.” Said Victor Romo from the DRP in a statement.

However, Armando Martinez, the president of the College of Catholic Attorneys, complained that politicians had “given Mexicans the most bitter Christmas – They are permitting adoption and in one stroke of the pen have erased the terms mother and father,” he said.

Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital was the very first Latin American city to legalise same sex civil unions for gay and lesbian couples back in 2002. It took a while, but in 2007 four other Argentine cities did the same. Mexico City was the first city in Mexico to introduce a similar civil union for same sex couples in the same year, 2007.

However, many people in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America remain opposed to gay marriage, and the Roman Catholic church has announced its opposition, as has the National Action party, led by the Mexican president, Felipe Calderón.

Mexico City is perhaps one of the most liberal and enlightened of the major Latin American cities, where homosexuality is increasingly accepted in Mexico. The annual gay pride parade attracts tens of thousands of people each year and the city has a vibrant gay scene.

Source Text:

www.gayagenda.com

Argentina, oficially gayfriendly

Lawmakers are currently working towards making Argentina the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage. They would become the second country after Canada in the Americas to end marriage discrimination.

A growing number of supporters in Argentine Congress began the debate last Thursday on whether or not to change the law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

If course, and in the U.S., the major opposition comes from Catholic and evangelical Christian groups, who are accusing the government of attempting to destroy marriage and the family as an institution.

Of the 40 million people living in the country, most are Catholic and the church has had a great influence over politics. Until 1994, it was a prerequisite that the president and vice president had to be married and members of the Catholic Church.

In 2002, the nations capital, Buenos Aires, legalized civil unions for LGBT couples, and four other cities followed the lead.

Uruguay is currently the only Latin American country to recognize gay unions.

Source text:

http://www.gayagenda.com/2009/11/dont-cry-for-me-argentina/