An online survey has found that a
majority of Argentinians approve of gay marriage.
The survey was conducted by Argentina's
110-year-old paper El Debate.
The paper asked: “A few hours ago and
after prolonged discussion, Argentina became the first Latin American
country that allows marriage between members of the same sex. Do you
agree with this new law?”
Fifty-seven percent of respondents to
the poll said they agreed with the law, while 41 percent disagreed
and the remainder said they had no opinion.
Argentina became the tenth country to
legalize gay marriage last Wednesday when President
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner signed the gay marriage law approved
by lawmakers.
The campaign to legalize gay marriage
was fiercely opposed by the Roman Catholic Church, which called the
movement the devil's handiwork.
The first gay wedding is expected to
take place between
two men – together for over 22 years – in the city of Mendoza on
July 31.
Two of Argentina's
neighbors – Uruguay and Paraguay – are expected to debate gay
marriage. And Chile
will consider a bill that recognizes gay and lesbian couples with
civil unions.