Love wins! Lawmakers in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas have voted to legalize marriage for same-sex couples, being the last of Mexico’s 32 states to do so in the majority Catholic country.
Marriage equality has been granted in seven Mexican states in 2022. A day before Tamaulipas, lawmakers in the state of Guerrero approved similar legislation. States Sonora and Sinaloa also recently voted to legalize same-sex marriage.
Mexico City was the first area to legalize same-sex marriage, in 2009.
Despite the Supreme Court declaring that state laws preventing same-sex marriage were unconstitutional in 2015, it has taken several years for some states to change their laws to conform with the ruling.
Supporters of same-sex marriage and protestors against it made so much noise during the session in Tamaulipas that the legislators had to move to another room to finish their debate and vote.
Ultimately, the notion to amend the state’s Civil Code passed with 23 votes in favor, 12 against and two abstentions. The result set off cheers of “Yes, we can!” from crowds of supporters, according to NBC News.
“The Congress of Tamaulipas approved the reforms to article 132 of the Civil Code for the State, to recognize the right to same-sex marriage,” the institution said in a statement.
“There are no first or second-class people, all people should enjoy this right,” said local congresswoman Nancy Ruiz of the conservative National Action Party (PAN).
President of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, Arturo Zaldívar, celebrated the vote in a tweet: “The whole country shines with a huge rainbow. Live the dignity and rights of all people. Love is love.”
“Today is a historic day for the LGBTQ community and for Mexico. Today, we and our families are more visible, more equal, and we are a country with more justice,” said activist Enrique Torre Molina, according to Al Jazeera.
Same-sex marriage remains illegal or not recognised in Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, most of Central America and much of the Caribbean.
