Six months after a gay marriage law
took effect in Argentina, more than 1,300 gay and lesbian couples
have married, Argentine daily Clarin reported.
The figures were released Monday by the
gay rights group Federacion Argentina de Lesbianas, Gays, Bisexuales
y Trans (FALGBT), which lobbied for the law.
The majority of marriages were between
men who had lived together for more than 12 years.
Esteban Paulo, president of FALGBT,
explained that “in many areas, for men it is easier to be visible.”
A male couple together 27 years were
the first gay couple to marry in the nation. Architect Juan Carlos
Navarro married his partner Miguel Angel Calefato in Santiago del
Estero.
Argentina became the first Latin
American country to legalize gay marriage after President Cristina
Fernandez de Kirchner signed the law on July 21. Lawmakers approved
the law over the strong objections of the Roman Catholic church; one
cardinal called the movement to legalize such unions the devil's
handiwork.
Gay marriage is also legal in Mexico
City, Mexico's capital.