Update: 11/30/09 – Judge puts Latin America’s first gay wedding on hold.
An Argentine judge has granted a gay couple permission to get married, setting a precedent that could pave the way for the Catholic country to become the first in Latin America to allow same-sex marriage, reports Reuters.
Friday’s ruling by Buenos Aires Judge Gabriela Seijas ordered the city’s civil registry to officially confirm the marriage of Alejandro Freyre and Jose Maria Di Bello.
Civil unions between same-gender couples in Buenos Aires have been legal since 2002, but the new ruling could have a significant impact on same-gender marriage laws in Argentina, or it could be overturned by civil authorities in the region.
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However, Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri, a conservative, said the government would make no such move.
Through a statement published on the Internet, Macri said “this is an important step, because we must learn how to live in freedom without hurting the rights of others…. We must cohabit, and accept this reality. The world is heading toward that direction”
Elsewhere in Latin America, same sex civil unions are allowed in Uruguay and Mexico City.