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LGBT News Mexican President moves to legalize gay marriage nationwide

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by ouji, May 18, 2016.

  1. ouji

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    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/18/world/americas/mexico-gay-marriage.html?_r=0

    MEXICO CITY — The president of Mexico said Tuesday that he was submitting a proposal to Congress to legalize same-sex marriage, as Mexico presses forward with breaking long-held taboos in Latin America.

    Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil already allow same-sex marriage, and Colombia’s high court declared last month that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry. With the addition of Mexico, more than 70 percent of Latin Americans now live in countries where same-sex marriage is permitted.

    President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico said his two bills would change the Constitution to incorporate the right for same-sex couples to wed and reform the federal civil code to assure marriage equality.

    Those changes would turn into law a ruling last year by the nation’s Supreme Court that it was unconstitutional for states to ban same-sex marriage. In practice, though, the effect of the ruling was to legalize gay marriage without requiring Mexico’s states to rewrite their marriage laws.

    “In our country, there can’t be those who have certain rights in some states and others who do not,” Mr. Peña Nieto said at a ceremony for the National Day of the Fight Against Homophobia.

    Revising the Constitution, he said, would incorporate marriage equality as a human right with full clarity.

    Since the Supreme Court’s ruling, several states have pushed back, revising their local constitutions to declare that marriage is between a man and a woman.

    “We are changing the concept that marriage is only to propagate the species,” said Humberto Castillejos, the president’s legal counsel. “It cannot only be to procreate children.”

    The president’s proposal is intended to make recognition of marriage equality “automatic and for the whole country,” Mr. Castillejos said.

    But Jordi Díez, a political scientist at the University of Guelph in Canada, who has written about same-sex marriage in Latin America, said the practical effect of the proposal might not be as immediate as advertised. “It’s still up to the states to change the definition of state law,” Mr. Díez said, although he added that he expected a majority of states to pass the constitutional change.

    He argued that the proposal might have had a political component, given Mr. Peña Nieto’s flagging popularity.

    “Given how bad his record is on human rights, it’s an effort to give some legitimacy to his presidency,” Mr. Díez said.

    Mexico City, a liberal island in this socially conservative county, led the way in legalizing same-sex marriage in Latin America in 2009. There have been thousands of same-sex weddings since then, some of them of couples coming from other states.

    Argentina followed in 2010. Gay marriage became legal in Uruguay and Brazil in 2013, and Colombia was the last to rule.

    Attitudes in Latin America are beginning to shift as the region becomes more urban and secular, although support for same-sex marriage is far from sweeping.

    Mr. Díez said that activists had been working for decades to press for gay rights in Latin America, and that over the years, they had woven networks of allies. “They have been very good at framing the issue in a way that resonates with society — as an issue of human rights,” he said.

    According to a study by the Pew Research Center published last year, the only Latin American countries where majorities approved of same-sex marriage in 2014 were Argentina and Uruguay. In Mexico, about half approved of it, and in Brazil, 45 percent did.

    Mr. Peña Nieto’s proposal would also make it easier for transgender people to obtain a passport recognizing their gender identity.
     
  2. SillyGoose

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  3. YuriBunny

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    That's cool! ^^
     
  4. Sagume Kishin

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    Mexican President for President!

    ... wait ...

    Anyway, this is great news. Let's hope it passes and becomes a reality :slight_smile:
     
  5. Kira

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    I hope it goes through, this would be another big step in the right direction for the world.
     
  6. Sandmann

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    Opposite of Trump.
     
  7. Cauldron

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    viva México! :grin:
     
  8. salad

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    Nice to see my country trying to move forward :slight_smile:
     
  9. edy

    edy
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    That useless %$··%& finally did something right lmao
     
  10. GodlyArmadillo

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    While it's probably going to be hard work to get marriage equality everywhere, I hope he does follow through, it would be a great example for Latin America.
     
  11. Spartan 117

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    For a second, when I read the abbreviated title from the home page, I genuinely thought it was going to say "Mexican President moves to... the United States". Which would have been somewhat hilarious.

    Seriously though, this sounds like an important and exciting step for the Mexican people!
     
  12. Goldangel455

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    This makes me happy for them, everyone should have the right to marry who they wish. Also I find latino men really attractive.
     
  13. SimonSnow

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    Let's all send them a cookie.
    :thewave:
     
  14. RavenTheRat

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    Well now we know why trump hates mexico!

    Really though, this is absolutley great. The world's progressing. At least.... all of the world but the southern U.S :'D
     
  15. Naxams

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    One Thing is I say is this
    [youtube]A2VpR8HahKc[/youtube]
     
  16. AwesomGaytheist

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    I liked Peña Nieto before this, and now I like him even more.
     
  17. Sleepwalker Me

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    Peña Nieto has made a lot of mistakes while governing (he doubled the national debt and let national currency devalue, for example), but I love how much emphasis he has made on LGBT rights. I kind of admire him now haha.
     
  18. silverdeer

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    Glad to see another place trying to allow gay marriage :slight_smile:
     
  19. Eye Shine

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    Hopefully it passes. The community could use some good news in these hard times.