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The New York Times
Argentine Gay Couple
Granted Marriage License
By AP from
nytimes.com on the Web, November 17, 2009
BUENOS AIRES — Two men who
were granted a marriage license in Buenos Aires on Monday are planning what may
be the first legal same-sex wedding in Latin America.
“On December 1st we will become man and man,” said José María Di Bello, tears
welling as a city clerk gave him the paperwork to marry his partner, Alex Freyre.
The couple won the right to marry when a judge ruled last week that a ban on
same-sex marriage violated Argentina’s Constitution.
The mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, said the city would not appeal, in
effect inviting other same-sex couples to pursue their rights in court.
“We have to live with and accept this reality: the world is moving in this
direction,” he said.
Mr. Freyre, 39, the executive director of the Buenos Aires AIDS Foundation, and
Mr. Di Bello, 41, an executive with the Argentine Red Cross, sued after being
denied a marriage license in April.
Their request was granted by Judge Gabriela Seijas, who said that laws limiting
marriage to a man and a woman violated the constitutional rights of equality.
The ruling sets no precedent beyond this case, but other gay and lesbian couples
may cite it in court if their requests for marriage licenses are denied.
No other country in Latin America allows same-sex marriage, though some
jurisdictions allow same-sex partners to form civil unions with many of the same
rights.
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