Illustration by Ahmed Bilal
Same-sex Marriage is Legalized across Mexico
On Oct. 27, same-sex marriage became legal across the entire Mexican territory after the state of Tamaulipas approved a referendum to article 132 of the Civil Code, becoming the country’s last state to do so.
Nov 13, 2022
On Oct. 27, same-sex marriage became legal across the entire Mexican territory after the state of Tamaulipas approved a referendum to article 132 of the Civil Code, becoming the country’s last state to do so.
Now, the article only requires people to be of legal age in order to get married. With this decision, same-sex marriage is legal in all 32 states of the country. With 38 votes for, six against, and two invalid, the state of Guerrero legalized same-sex marriage just one day before Tamaulipas did. Activists and members of the LGBTQ+ community celebrated this historical moment as they feel more acknowledged now, “more visible, more equal”.
The story of legalizing same-sex marriage in the country goes back to 2009 when Mexico City became not only the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage but also the first city in Latin America to do so. In 2015, the Supreme Court of Justice declared that marriage exclusive to a woman and a man was a violation of human rights. However, the legalization of same-sex marriage took 13 years to become a reality for the entire country.
Arturo Zaldívar, president of the Supreme Court of justice, celebrated this historical event on Twitter: “The whole country shines with a huge rainbow. Live the dignity and rights of all people. Love is love.” For his part, Fernando Agüero García, the deputy from the Morena party, said that same-sex marriage is important to guarantee civil rights and social security to couples.
Although this is a big victory, the country still has a long way to go to guarantee respect for the rights and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community. A potential action moving forward is the legalization of gender identity for transgender people in the country, which as of Nov. is only legal in 13 states out of 32 in the country.
Scarlette Jimenez is Deputy News Editor. Email her at feedback@thegazelle.org
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