Mexico: Same-sex couple forced to cancel wedding, told they are too insane to marry
A same-sex couple who were set to become the first in Baja California to marry have been forced to postpone their wedding – after a counsellor claimed they ‘suffer from madness’.
The Mexican Supreme Court ruled last year that the northern state – which borders the US state of California – could not prevent Victor Aguirre Espinoza and Fernando Urías Amparo from marrying.
However, the pair – who have been trying to marry for months – have suffered a number of mysterious setbacks at the hands of the state.
The pair originally planned to marry in November, but were forced to cancel the plans, after an ill-timed bomb threat was made at Mexicali City Hall.
The couple’s attorney also accuses Mayor Jaime Díaz Ochoa of deliberately throwing bureaucratic hurdles in front of the process, which had hindered their attempt to marry.
The pair were finally set to marry yesterday, but the wedding was reportedly shut down yet again – because a counsellor said the pair “suffer from madness”.
Angelica Guadalupe Gonzalez Sanchez, president of the Coalition of Baja California Families, provides mandatory pre-marital counselling for couples in the area – but refused to sign off on the pair.
According to UT San Diego, Ms Gonzalez claimed the pair were “aggressive and impertinent” after she refused to certify them.
City councillor Abraham Medina said: “I think it’s nothing more than an excuse. They’re just doing this to buy time. I don’t know why they are making these people go through this torment.”
Fernando Urías Amparo pledged that the pair will continue to push for their marriage despite the obstacles, saying: “One day, their tricks will end, and we will never get tired of trying.”
Same-sex marriage is currently only permitted in the states of Mexico City and Quintana Roo – with Coahuila also voting a bill into law in September legalising same-sex marriage and gay adoption.
