Chihuahua, Mexico might see in a matter of weeks its first
marriage between two members of the same sex.
Tony and Tomas legally challenged Chihuahua's marriage laws after
they were denied a license in April. Judge Jose Juan Muzquiz Gomez
late last month ruled in their favor and gave the state ten days to
file an objection, which it did not. On Tuesday, State Legal Adviser
Mario Trevizo Salazar announced that the deadline had passed.
Trevizo noted that the ruling only applies to this case.
Four additional gay couples, 2 from Juarez and 2 from Chihuahua,
the state's capital, have also challenged the state's marriage ban,
daily El
Diario reported.
Last year, the nation's highest court struck down a similar law in
the state of Oaxaca. However, unlike the United States, Mexico's
Supreme Court does not have the authority to simultaneously strike
down laws throughout the nation, leaving activists to challenge
marriage laws, and in some cases constitutional amendments, in all 31
states.
Mexico City, home to nearly 9 million Mexicans, legalized gay
nuptials in 2009.
(Related: Mexican
lawmaker want gay unions to be held “in the shadows.”)