A male gay couple in Yucatan, Mexico
are on track to becoming the first in the state to legally marry.
On Monday, a Yucatan federal court
ordered officials to recognize and register the marriage of Javier
Carillo and Ricardo Gongora.
“We are pleased to announce that our
lawyers gained the protection so that we can get married in Yucatan,”
the couple messaged on Twitter.
On Tuesday, Martha Gongora, director of
the Civil Registry in Yucatan, confirmed
that her office had been notified of the ruling.
The couple, together 4 years, attempted
to marry in March but were told by a top official that they could not
due to the state's 2009 law defining marriage as a heterosexual
union.
Last year, the nation's highest court
struck down a similar law in the state of Oaxaca. However, unlike
the United States, the court does not have the authority to
simultaneously strike down laws throughout the nation.
State officials have not said whether
they plan to appeal the ruling.