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Gay, lesbian couples marry in Mexico City

by Rex Wockner

International News Briefs

Same-sex couples started marrying in Mexico City on March 11.
The first same-sex weddings took place in the Municipal Palace with Mayor Marcelo Ebrard and numerous other officials in attendance.
The federal government is challenging Mexico City's legalization of gay marriage, but the case likely will not see any action by the Supreme Court for more than a year.
The Mexico City government's Web site says that to get married in Mexico City, requirements include that the couple "be residents of the Federal District" and present the original and a copy of proof of domicile issued within the past three months. It does not say what qualifies as proof. News reports have mentioned such things as utility bills and have suggested that the requirement does not seem to be strictly enforced.
The same page of the Web site explains what is required for "foreigners" to marry in Mexico City. If only one of the individuals is a foreigner, he or she must present "authorization issued by the Secretary of Governance to marry." But, "When both parties are foreigners, permission from the Secretary of Governance is not required."
The Web site's information seems at odds with media statements by Mexico City officials, who have said they hope gay couples will come from around the world to get married and that the city is working with travel agencies to offer packages that include flights, hotel, sightseeing, a wedding and a banquet.
There are no differences between same- and opposite-sex marriage in Mexico City, and the city's Web site contains otherwise identical PDF forms for "him/her," "him/him" and "her/her" marriages.
The Web site of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, under the heading "American Citizens Services – Marriage and Divorce in Mexico," says: "You should contact the office of the Registro Civil in the jurisdiction where you plan to get married for complete information about the requirements. A marriage that is properly executed in Mexico is valid in the United States provided the marriage would be legal in the United States."
A marriage contracted legally anywhere in Mexico also is supposed to be recognized everywhere in Mexico, but some Mexican states have taken recent steps to attempt to avoid recognizing gay marriages from Mexico City.
It is not known how those conflicts will play out.
An English-language Google search for "getting married in Mexico" produced tens of thousands of hits clearly aimed at non-resident foreigners.
Same-sex marriage also is legal in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain and Sweden; in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province; and in Washington, D.C., and the states of Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. It will become legal later this year in Portugal.

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Topics: News
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