COAHUILA, Mexico — The Congress of the Mexican state of Coahuila voted 19-1 Monday to alter more than 40 parts of the state’s civil code to make marriage gender neutral, making Coahuila the first state in Mexico to legalize same-sex marriage through its state legislature, reports LGBTQ Nation.
“The reform is expected to come into force in a week and from there couples will be entitled to all benefits that come with civil marriage,”said Deputy Ricardo López Campos, coordinator of committees of Government and Constitutional Issues.
Same-sex marriage is also legal in Mexico’s Federal District (Mexico City) and in the state of Quintana Roo, where the secretary of state determined in 2012 that the state’s civil code was also gender neutral.
“Opening up marriage to homosexual couples is about ensuring all Coahuilenes a wide coverage of their rights and recognizing the marriages of same-sex persons and the inherent rights that come with that marriage,” said deputy Samuel Acevedo.
