July 15, 2010
CNN
Argentina became the first Latin American country on Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage.
President Cristina Kirchner has been pushing the gay marriage bill through Congress
Lawmakers in the Senate passed the bill after 14 hours of debate that began Wednesday and carried well into early Thursday morning, the state-run Telam news agency reported.
The bill had already passed the lower chamber of Congress.
It gives same-sex couples equal marriage rights, including the ability to adopt children.
The law was backed by the center-left government of President Cristina Kirchner, who has said she will sign it.
The majority Roman Catholic country follows a few others around the world where same-sex marriage is legal. Among them are the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.
Last month’s congressional vote and Wednesday’s Senate vote are the latest moves in a pro-gay marriage trend in Argentine politics.
Last year, a judge in Buenos Aires ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage was illegal, paving the way for such marriages in the capital of Argentina.
An injunction by another judge stopped what would have been the first same-sex marriage there.
Ultimately, Latin America’s first same-sex marriage happened in Argentina in a southern state with a pro-gay marriage governor.
hey, this is great news for LGBT communites all around the world.. if argentina can do it, UK, US and even India shouldn’t be too far behind!