Gay marriage now legal in Mexico City

[Woof]

This is a news item from March 4:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8549400.stm



Quote: A law allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry comes into effect on Thursday in Mexico City.
The law, which was passed by the city's local assembly in December, gives gay people full marital rights, including the right to adopt.



Another step forward in the fight for human rights...

[Coconino]

This is a news item from March 4:
Quote: A law allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry comes into effect on Thursday in Mexico City.
..

If they move to a different part of Mexico, say Durango or Oaxaca,
will their marriage be recognized? I'm not sure, but I doubt it.
So if they want their marriage to be legally recognized,
they can't leave Mexico City....at least for now.

A similar issue affects same-sex marriages in the U.S. A couple who is legally married in Massachusetts, for example, will lose their married status if they moved to a state that doesn't recognize same sex marriages. Even if they are just passing through Ohio or Alabama
for example, they are not legally married while they are in that state.

This, in addition to the issue of federal benefits, is why the issue of same sex-marriage should be decided at the federal level.

I think that in the near future, a case will be brought to the U.S. Supreme Court, and they will have to make a ruling on it.

[Woof]

If they move to a different part of Mexico, say Durango or Oaxaca,
will their marriage be recognized? I'm not sure, but I doubt it.
So if they want their marriage to be legally recognized,
they can't leave Mexico City....at least for now.

A similar issue affects same-sex marriages in the U.S. A couple who is legally married in Massachusetts, for example, will lose their married status if they moved to a state that doesn't recognize same sex marriages. Even if they are just passing through Ohio or Alabama
for example, they are not legally married while they are in that state.

This, in addition to the issue of federal benefits, is why the issue of same sex-marriage should be decided at the federal level.

I think that in the near future, a case will be brought to the U.S. Supreme Court, and they will have to make a ruling on it.


Quote: There is little chance of exporting gay marriage to other parts of the country, which is largely controlled by the conservative PAN Party (http://inform.com/topic/PAN+Party). Mariana Gozmez (http://inform.com/topic/Mariana+Gozmez) del Campo, who heads the PAN in Mexico City, said lawmakers violated the rights of minors by allowing gay couples to adopt.
In an effort to derail the start of the law, Mexico (http://inform.com/topic/Mexico)'s federal government appealed to the country's Supreme Court. The federal Attorney General's Office (http://inform.com/topic/U.S.+Office+of+the+Attorney+General) argued that the law 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 states controlled by the PAN Party. 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.



It seems that it is up to the courts to decide whether same-sex marriage will be recognized by states outside of Mexico City. This is a positive thing, because there will be ongoing pressure for other parts of that country to follow Mexico City's lead, though it could be a long, uphill battle. The same pattern applies to countries like the US, where as time passes, there will inevitably be more court challenges to uphold recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages in those states where it is not legal.