Tens of thousands in Mexico protest against same-sex marriage
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Mexico to protest against a proposed same-sex marriage law.
The proposal was made by President Enrique Pena Nieto to introduce same-sex marriage in the largely conservative country.
Officials estimated that around 40,000 took to the streets of one city, Queretaro, to protest against the law.
The demonstrations were organised by the National Front for the Family, a group of organisations and religious groups opposed to samesex marriage.
Demonstrations took place across Mexico.
While same-sex marriage is not legal across the country, several states and Mexico City currently have laws allowing same-sex couples to marry.
The states of Coahuila, Quintana Roo, Jalisco, Nayarit, Chihuahua, Chiapas and Sonora have already legalised it but the other 30 states currently do not allow same-sex couples to marry.
But President Pena Nieto has proposed a federal law to legalise same-sex marriage in all jurisdictions.
Some have suggested that the proposal that parliamentarians should debate same-sex marriage, will prove damaging to the embattled President.
As well as organising the demonstrations which drew larger crowds than expected, the National Front for the Family also gathered over 100,000 signatures against the proposal.
The President already suffered a hefty defeat at the polls earlier this year after taking moves to recognise same-sex marriage.
Mexico has seen a string of court battles over same-sex marriage, with Mexico’s Supreme Court last year ruling that it was unconstitutional for states to ban LGBT couples from marrying – leading to Mexican states recognising same-sex marriages.
Pink and blue balloons were brandished by the anti-gay marriage protesters, in a similar fashion to those carried by hundreds of thousands across France during sometimes violent protests ahead of a same-sex marriage law being introduced there.
