Supreme Court in Mexico unanimously strikes down marriage ban
In a potentially groundbreaking move yesterday, Mexico’s Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling striking down a ban on same-sex marriage in the state of Oaxaca, potentially paving the way for an eventual marriage equality law in the rest of the country.
The ruling changes the civil code in Oaxaca to define marriage as between “two people” rather than between a man and a woman.
The court ruled in favor of three same-sex couples who sued the state of Oaxaca for the right to marry. The ruling does not immediately eliminate marriage bans in other Mexican states, but it does set a legal precedent to begin challenging statewide marriage bans, according to the blog AfterMarriage.
While many Mexican states still have marriage bans on the books, in 2010 the nation’s capital, Mexico City, began serving gay and lesbian couples with marriage licenses. Shortly thereafter, the Supreme Court ruled that marriages performed in Mexico City must be recognized by every other state in the country, due to a constitutional clause that requires states to recognize contracts performed in other jurisdictions.
Woohoo! Decisions like this can be a huge deal to the rest of the country in time, so let’s hope this means good news is on the way for Mexico.
Guess this debunks the whole “people of color are stopping marriage equality” myth. STEP IT UP AMERICA!
Source: gaywrites
