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Argentina legalizes same-sex marriage
By Rex Wockner
Argentina legalized same-sex marriage July 15.
The vote in the Senate at 4:05 a.m. was 33-27 with 3 abstentions.
The lower house already passed the bill and President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner strongly supports it.
"The bill has passed. It is law. The executive power will be notified," the Senate president said as the vote was displayed on an electronic board in the chamber.
The debate lasted nearly 15 hours.
"The result sparked euphoria among the (LGBT) activists who, despite the polar wave that grips the city, held a vigil in the Plaza of the Two Congresses,"
said Buenos Aires' Clarnn newspaper.
The Web site of Argentina's main political gay group, la Federacion Argentina LGBT, was kicked off the Internet and replaced with a "Bandwidth Limit
Exceeded" notice.
"Today's historic vote shows how far Catholic Argentina has come, from dictatorship to true democratic values, and how far the freedom-to-marry movement has
come as twelve countries on four continents now embrace marriage equality," said Evan Wolfson, head of the U.S. group Freedom to Marry.
"Key to Argentina's human rights achievement was strong leadership from legislators and the president. It is time we see more of our own elected officials standing
up for the Constitution and all families here in the United States," Wolfson said. "America should lead, not lag, when it comes to treating everyone equally under
the law."
The U.S. based group Freedom to Marry issued this supportive statement about the Argentina decision:
"Today's historic vote shows how far Catholic Argentina has come, from dictatorship to true democratic values, and how far the freedom to marry movement has come as
twelve countries on four continents now embrace marriage equality. Argentina's vote for the freedom to marry marks an important advance for fairness and family values
as more couples around the world will now share in marriage, with families helped and no one hurt. Today's vote adds momentum to the international movement to secure
the freedom to marry for all loving and committed couples."
"Key to Argentina's human rights achievement was strong leadership from legislators and the president. It is time we see more of our own elected officials standing up
for the Constitution and all families here in the United States. America should lead, not lag, when it comes to treating everyone equally under the law."
Same-sex marriage is legal in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Mexico City, Connecticut,
Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C.
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