A male gay couple became the first to
marry in the Mexican state of Colima on February 27.
The men, both 30, married in the town
of Cuauhtemoc, CNNMexico reported.
Two additional gay couples are set to
marry and seven couples have also filed a formal request, said the
town's mayor, Indira Vizcaino Silva.
“We decided not to discriminate and
to fulfill the obligation we have as a municipal authority not to
deny services on the grounds of sexual diversity,” Vizcaino
said, citing a recent Mexico Supreme Court ruling which struck
down state laws prohibiting gay couples from marrying.
Unlike the United States Supreme Court,
Mexico's highest court cannot strike down laws nationwide.
Mexico City, a federal district much
like the District of Columbia, is the only municipality in the nation
which has legalized marriage for gay couples. It did so in 2009.
Colima's state constitution defines
marriage as a heterosexual union, and state authorities have said
that such unions are not legal. However, local authorities have not
taken any legal action to prevent them.