A gay marriage law celebrates its third
anniversary in Argentina this week.
Argentina became the first Latin
American country to legalize gay marriage after President Christina
Fernandez de Kirchner signed the law on July 21, 2010. Lawmakers
approved the law on July 15 over the strong objections of the Roman
Catholic Church.
As Argentina debated the bill, Pope
Francis, as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, called on Catholics to
oppose the move, calling it the devil's handiwork.
A couple together 27 years was the
first to marry under the law. Architect Juan Carlos Navarro married
his partner Miguel Angel Calefato in Santiago del Estero on July 30.
More than 7,000 gay couples have tied
the knot since the law's adoption, most of which took place in the
nation's capital of Buenos Aires and its surrounding province,
according to gay advocate Comunidad Homosexual Argentina (CHA).
It is estimated that Argentina has
2,400,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender persons.
Gay couples can also marry in the
city-state of Mexico City, whose marriages are recognized throughout
Mexico, and Uruguay. Activists in Brazil and Colombia have won
significant victories in the courts. In Colombia, a
judge's ruling has paved the way for the nation's first marriage
between members of the same sex to take place next week.