Mexico effectively legalises same-sex marriage

Mexico is the latest Latin American country to introduce marriage for same-sex couples

A couple at a demonstration in support of same-sex marriage outside the Metropolitan Cathedral in the Mexican region of Guadalajara (Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images) ((Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images))

The Supreme Court in Mexico has legalised same-sex marriage in a landmark legal ruling.

A court has decreed that it is unconstitutional for Mexican states to bar same-sex marriages.

Whilst no official legislation has been brought forward in parliament to introduce marriage for gay and bisexual couples, the court ruling represents a precedent which will require courts throughout the country to follow suit.

This means that same-sex marriage has effectively been legalised throughout Mexico.

Estefanía Vela, a legal scholar at a Mexico City university told the New York Times of the ruling: “Without a doubt, gay marriage is legal everywhere. If a same-sex couple comes along and the code says marriage is between a man and a woman and for the purposes of reproduction, the court says, ‘Ignore it, marriage is for two people'.”

It is now up to couples to petition the courts individually, a process which can last several months and amount to legal bills of up to $1,000.

A number of Latin American countries have allowed same-sex marriage in recent years. Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay have already done so, whilst Chile and Ecuador are set to do so in the near future.