Mexico celebrates as same-sex marriage becomes law of the land
A Mexican couple married in Pride month. (Getty)
Same-sex marriage has been fully legalised across Mexico, after the final state, Tamaulipas, voted in favour of the law on Wednesday (26 October).
The vote followed the states of Durango, Guerrero, the State of Mexico, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Yucatán moving to allow equal marriage earlier in 2022, Reuters has reported.
LGBTQ+ organisation Yaaj Mexico celebrated the news on Twitter, writing: “With 23 votes in favour, two against, and one abstention, equal marriage is approved in Tamaulipas, the last state to guarantee this right.
“Our entire congratulations to civil society and wills that have fought for decades for equality.”
Andrea Chávez, federal deputy of Ciudad Juárez in Chihuahua, added: “One more step in achieving a more just, dignified and equal life for all people… love is love!”
Con la aprobación en el Congreso Local de Tamaulipas el #MatrimonioIgualitario queda reconocido en las 32 entidades federativas de nuestro país.
Un paso más en la consecución de una vida más justa, digna e igualitaria para todas las personas.
¡Porque amor es amor! 🏳️🌈
— Andrea Chávez (@AndreaChavezTre) October 26, 2022
While Mexico has a horrifying problem with violence against trans people, rated the second-deadliest country in the world for trans people in 2019, the legalisation of same-sex marriage is one of several steps towards LGBTQ+ equality in the country in recent years.
In February this year, an LGBTQ+ activist became the first person in the country to be issued a birth certificate legally recognising them as non-binary.
This follows more than half of Mexico’s states passing legislation to allow trans people to change their gender on official documents.
Fausto Martinez, a 26-year-old law student, was able to change their gender marker on their birth certificate to “NB” after a year-long legal battle in the state of Guanajuato.
In a Twitter thread, they shared a photograph of their amended birth certificate, explaining the journey it took them to get there.
“I have always said that what is not named does not exist,” they wrote.
“For this reason, the transience of this fact, the Mexican state recognises that non-binary people exist and with that, we are subject to rights and obligations.”
Putting the UK to shame, Mexico also voted to ban all forms of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy in early October, which will now head to the country’s chamber of deputies for a final vote.
