Officials in Mexico City say 88 gay and
lesbian couples married in the first 30 days since gay marriage
became legal in the city, the AP reported.
The city government said 50 of the
couples consisted of gay men and 38 of lesbians.
Mexico City became the first
municipality in Latin America to legalize the institution on March 4.
Nearly 10 million Mexicans live in the city, which is also home to
the nation's largest gay community.
The law is opposed by Mexico's
conservative National Action Party (PAN), which controls much of the
country, including the federal government.
In an effort to derail the start of the
law, Mexico's federal government appealed to the country's Supreme
Court. The federal Attorney General's Office argued that the law,
which allows gay couples for the first time to adopt, was
unconstitutional because it “strays from the responsibility of the
government to place a priority on safeguarding the interests of
children.”
While the court has yet to review the
federal challenge, it upheld the law in rejecting challenges brought
by the governors of three PAN-controlled states. The governors had
argued that the law would force their state governments to recognize
the marriages of gay couples from Mexico City. The court, however,
said the states did not have the legal authority to challenge the
laws of another state or the nation's federal district of Mexico
City.
An additional 37 gay couples have
applied to marry.