Coahuila State Legislature Becomes First to Approve Gay Marriage Brianna Lee - IBTimes.com
go to original September 3, 2014

A gay couple displays their rings during a mass wedding in Mexico City. The northern state of Coahuilas became the first jurisdiction outside Mexico City to formally approve same-sex marriages in September. (Reuters/Edgard Garrido)

The northern state of Coahuila has formally legalized same-sex marriage, becoming Mexico's first state to do so by legislative approval. The congress of Coahuila, a mining and ranching region that shares a border with Texas, approved more than 40 changes to its Civil Code Monday, extending all marriage rights to same-sex couples, including the right to have children through adoption or biological means.

The law, which was first introduced in March 2013 by lawmaker Samuel Acevedo, was passed 19-1 with the support of six of the seven political parties represented in the legislature. The changes could take effect as early as next week. Acevedo said while congressional approval for the changes could be hampered by conservative and religious groups, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the move represents a significant step forward.

“What’s important is that we changed the traditional system of marriage,” he told reporters. “The code says that marriage is a union between a man and a woman with the aim of procreation, and now it will say that marriage is a union between two people with the possibility of procreation or adoption.”

Gov. Ruben Moreira Valdez also backed the vote, turning to Twitter to congratulate lawmakers on passing the changes. Coahuila has been a pioneer of same-sex rights in Mexico for years as the first state in the country to approve civil unions for same-sex couples in 2007. In February, the state also approved adoptions for same-sex couples.

Mexico City is the only other jurisdiction in the country that has explicitly legalized same-sex marriage.

Read the rest at IBTimes.com

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!