A male gay couple in Yucatan, Mexico made history on Thursday as
the first in the state to legally marry.
Javier Alberto Carrillo Esquivel, 34, and Ricardo Arturo Gongora,
26, wore matching white guayabera shirts as they exchanged vows
before 400 guests. The ceremony, which began shortly after 9 PM, was
held at the disco Blue Namu in Merida and was officiated by Judge
Manuel Sosa, according to Yucatan
Al Minuto.
Last month, a Yucatan federal court ordered officials to recognize
and register the couple's marriage.
Carrillo and Gongora, 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.