Twenty gay and lesbian couples
exchanged vows on an Acapulco, Mexico beach on Friday.
The mass wedding consisted of 15 male
couples and 5 female couples. Roughly 200 people attended the
celebration, according to the
AFP.
Guerrero Governor Rogello Ortega and
his wife served as witnesses.
At 17, Alejandra Jimenez Soler was
among the youngest people to get married. She said that her family
refused to attend the ceremony.
“I feel terrible that my family isn't
here to support me because they should accept you as you are,” she
said.
Last month, Mexico's Supreme Court
effectively legalized such unions when it declared state marriage
bans unconstitutional.
(Related: Mexico
Supreme Court strikes gay marriage bans; Chihuahua joins equality
states.)
In response to the decision, Ortega's
administration ordered civil registries to begin issuing marriage
licenses to gay couples. Acapulco Mayor Luis Walton Aburto
unsuccessfully attempted to block the couples from marrying, arguing
that local codes prohibit officials from issuing such licenses.