MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s capital city has reported that 1,000 same-sex marriages have been registered since the city’s lawmakers legalized same-sex unions on Dec. 21, 2009, according to a statement released by the Oficina del Registro Civil (Civil Registry).
Mexico City’s Mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, signed the bill into law, which then became effective March 4, 2010.
The legislation 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.” The measure also granted same-sex couples the same legal rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples, including being able to adopt children.
The statement also notes that about 6 percent of those getting married in same-sex weddings in Mexico City are foreigners, which according to the measure’s supporters during the debate over its passage, would generate an influx to the city by same-sex couples from other nations.
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According the published statistics, the first 1,000 weddings involved 548 gay couples and 452 lesbian pairs. About 85 percent of the marriages were between partners age 31 and older. Overall the average age for marriages in the country is 28 for men and 25 for women.
