MEXICO – Last week, Mexico City’s civil registry performed its 1000th same-sex marriage since ministers in the capital approved such unions back in March 2010.
The milestone was reached with the joining together of a 37-year-old Mexican university researcher and a 29-year-old Dutch man. Officials had predicted an influx of tourism when the law was enacted and the civil registry has revealed that about six percent of those getting married in same-sex weddings are foreigners.
According to city statistics, 85 percent of gay marriages performed were for couples aged 31 or older. And the number of marriage licenses granted for gay and lesbian couples were about the same. Specifically 548 licenses were issued for gay men unions and 452 were issued for lesbian couples.
The legislation passed in March 2010 changed the definition of marriage in the city’s civil code from “a free union between a man and a woman” to “a free union between two people.” It also granted same-sex couples the same legal rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples, including being able to adopt children.
