A gay male couple's third attempt to
marry in Baja California, Mexico on Saturday was not the charm.
After more than 21 months of legal
wrangling, Victor Aguirre Espinoza, 43, and Fernando Urias Amparo,
37, were set to become the first gay couple to marry in Baja
California. The men, both hairstylists, have been together more than
10 years.
A ruling from Mexico's Supreme Court
paved the way for the couple to exchange vows in Mexicali, the state
capital, but officials have resisted the ruling.
According to The
San Diego Union-Tribune, the couple's homophobic nightmare
continued on Saturday, when the men were greeted at City Hall by
protesters wearing blue face masks.
The building was locked down and a top
city official told the men that the wedding had been canceled due to
a complaint that the men “suffer from madness.”
Their accuser was Guadalupe Gonzalez
Sanchez, who along with her husband conducts mandatory pre-marital
talks for the city. Sanchez is also the president of the
conservative Coalition of Baja California Families.
Gonzalez filed a complaint accusing the
men of being “aggressive and impertinent” on Thursday after she
refused to certify their attendance. She also claimed that the men
attempted
to fool her by attending the talk accompanied by a woman.
Abraham Medica, a member of the
Mexicali City Council, called the delay “nothing more than an
excuse.”
“They're just doing this to buy
time,” he said. “I don't know why they are making these people
go through this torment.”
The couple vowed not to give up trying.