Supporters of LGBT rights marched
through the streets of Mexico City on Sunday in support of a proposal
to legalize marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples throughout
the country.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in
May asked lawmakers to debate marriage equality.
Sunday's rally came a day after
thousands of people took to the streets to protest Pena Nieto's
proposal. Norberto Rivera Carrera, the cardinal of Mexico City,
denied the Catholic church, a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage,
was behind the protests.
One of the largest marches drew an
estimated 40,000 people to the city of Queretaro, Reuters reported.
“I think it was something
unprecedented, the awakening of the society of Queretaro in defense
of the family,” Jose Alcantara, an organizer with the National
Front for the Family, told the outlet.
At Sunday's march, demonstrators
carried banner which read, “I respect your family, respect mine.”
Mexico's highest court last year struck
down as unconstitutional laws that restrict marriage to heterosexual
couples. But such laws remain in most states.