MEXICO CITY LEGALISES GAY MARRIAGE

Mexico City has become the first city in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriage as well as gay adoption.

The bill, which changes the definition of marriage from being between a man and a woman to “the free uniting of two people,” was passed with 39 votes for and 20 against in the local assembly.

It is expected to be signed into law by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard.

The bill, however, only applies to Mexico’s capital – with a population of almost 9 million people, and not to the rest of the country. It is unclear if the change in the law will also apply to the Greater Mexico City metropolitan area which has a population of over 21 million people.

In November, a judge in Buenos Aires granted two men the right to marry after ruling that the country’s ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional.

The ruling was then overturned by another judge and until the issue can be addressed by Argentina’s Supreme Court.

No country in Latin America has yet legalised same-sex marriage, although Uruguay and a few regions have approved civil union legislation.