Argentina has become the first country in Latin America to legalise gay marriage after the country’s Senate backed the new law in an historic vote.
It has been a hard fought campaign though as the Senate voted in favour by just six votes after 14 hours of heated debate.
The law, which also allows same sex couples to adopt, had met with fierce opposition from the Catholic Church and other religious groups but President Cristina Fernandez’s centre left government wanted to press it through.
It now makes Argentina one of the most liberal countries in the world as far as gay rights are concerned. Given the large religious entity in the country and its respective power, it is regarded as a huge achievement for the gay community in Latin America.
‘Nearly every political and social figure has spoken out in favour of marriage equality. Argentina is now a more just and democratic country,’ said Maria Rachid, president of the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals.
The opposition campaign was led by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who declared that children need to have the right to be raised and educated by a father and a mother.
Family group, Argentine Families Argentina, also opposed the move. Spokesperson Ines Frank said that ‘the essence of a family is between two people of opposite sexes.’
There have been several gay marriages recently in Argentina, some of which were annulled by the Supreme Court, creating a legal controversy. Civil unions between people of the same sex are legal in Buenos Aires and in some other provinces but the new law is the first regulation on a countrywide level.
Argentina’s capital is widely considered to be among the most gay friendly cities in Latin America. It was the first Latin American city to legalise same sex unions. Same sex civil unions are also legal in Uruguay and some states in Brazil and Mexico, while gay marriage is legal in Mexico City.
The new law won’t allow non-resident gay foreigners to tie the knot but it is likely to draw more gay tourists who already spend millions in the country’s economy, according to Pablo De Luca, founder of the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in Buenos Aires.
’The fact that we are the first country in Latin America that respects the rights of the gay community by law sends a solid message that makes Argentina even more attractive,’ said De Luca, who estimates that 18% of the tourists who come to Argentina are gay or lesbian.
