Just days after the
Argentine Congress postponed debate on a gay marriage bill, a
fifth gay couple has married in the country's capital, the Argentine
news agency Telam reported.
The gay rights group Federation
Argentine of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans – la Federacion
Argentina de Lesbianas, Gays, Bisexuales y Trans (FALGBT) –
announced the union of Alejandro Luna and Gilles Grall, a Frenchman,
on Friday.
They are the fourth gay couple to marry
in Buenos Aires so far. In December, two men – Alejandro Freyre
and Jose Maria Di Bello – became the first gay couple to marry in
Argentina. The couple married in the southern state of Tierra del
Fuego after Governor Fabiana Rios issued a special decree. The
wedding was originally scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires, but a
national judge ordered a halt to the ceremony at the last minute,
overruling a lower court's decision.
“Gilles Grall is a French citizen,”
Maria Rachid, president of FALGBT, said in a statement, “so this
marriage is unique in allowing the couple to continue their
relationship, and only through marriage may Gilles obtain permanent
residence and remain in Argentina with the person he loves and chose
to share his life with.”
Grall, who met Luna during a 2008
business trip, said: “When you find love, anything is possible.”
On Wednesday, Argentina's Chamber of
Deputies (la Camara de Diputados) failed to gain sufficient support
to open debate on a gay marriage bill, but lawmakers say they'll hold
a special session next Wednesday.
In announcing the Luna-Grall marriage,
Rachid urged lawmakers to approve the gay marriage bill.
Recognition of gay unions is gaining
ground in Latin America. Several Argentine cities, including its
largest city of Buenos Aires, have approved civil unions for gay
couples. In March, a gay marriage law took effect in Mexico City,
making it the first municipality in the region to approve such
unions. Uruguay recognizes gay and lesbian couples with civil
unions.