Argentine President Cristina Fernandez
de Kirchner on Wednesday ratified a gay marriage law approved by
lawmakers, Argentina's Los Andes reported.
The ceremony, held at the Casa Rosada
(Pink House), which holds the president's official office, was
attended by numerous human rights groups, including the Argentine
Federation of Lesbians Gays Bisexuals & Trans (FALGBT), the group
that lobbied for passage of the bill.
“Today we are a society a little more
equal than last week,” the president said.
She added that Argentina will look back
on the gay marriage debate that appeared to grip the nation starting
in December when a judge allowed a male gay couple to marry as
“anachronistic” and likened it to discussion on the law of
divorce in the 80s.
“We have not enacted a law, we have
enacted a social construct,” Fernandez said.
Gay marriage is now legal in Argentina,
making it the first country in Latin America to approve such a law.
Over 100 gay and lesbian couples are
preparing to wed, FALGBT's president Maria Rachid said Monday. The
first marriage is expected to take place on August 13 in the capital
city of Buenos Aires.
The law was approved in the Roman
Catholic stronghold over the vigorous objections of the church.
Mexico City officials have offered a
free honeymoon to the first gay couple to marry in Argentina.
Gay and lesbian couples can also marry in the Mexican capital, a fact
tourism officials hope to capitalize.
Two of Argentina's neighbors –
Uruguay
and Paraguay – are expected to consider gay marriage bills.