Same-sex marriage in the State of Mexico

Same-sex marriage has been legal in the State of Mexico since 2 November 2022. On 11 October 2022, the Congress of the State of Mexico voted 50–16 with seven abstentions to pass a bill legalizing same-sex marriage.[1][2] It was published on 1 November 2022, and took effect the next day.[3] The State of Mexico was the third-to-last state in Mexico to provide for same-sex marriage.

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Background

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On 15 February 2013, four same-sex couples applied to marry at the civil registry office in Toluca. Civil registry officials refused to issue them marriage licenses, and the couples consequently filed an amparo in court.[4] On 24 June 2013, a federal judge granted the amparo, ruling that the articles of the Civil Code that prohibited same-sex couples from marrying were discriminatory. The state appealed the decision. An appellate court declared itself unable to resolve the dispute in January 2014, whereupon the case was elevated to the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. Oral arguments were set for 6 November 2014; however, the judges postponed the hearing for an additional ten days.[5] On 25 February 2015, the Supreme Court granted the amparo, and declared the Civil Code unconstitutional and discriminatory.[6] A lesbian couple, one of the four couples to have applied to marry back in February 2013, became the first same-sex couple to marry in the state on 18 April 2015.[7]

The Mexican Supreme Court ruled on 12 June 2015 that state bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional nationwide. The court's ruling is considered a "jurisprudential thesis" and did not invalidate state laws, meaning that same-sex couples denied the right to marry would still have to seek individual amparos in court. The ruling standardized the procedures for judges and courts throughout Mexico to approve all applications for same-sex marriages and made the approval mandatory. Specifically, the court ruled that same-sex marriage bans violate Articles 1 and 4 of the Constitution of Mexico. Article 1 of the Constitution states that "any form of discrimination, based on ethnic or national origin, gender, age, disabilities, social status, medical conditions, religion, opinions, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other form, which violates the human dignity or seeks to annul or diminish the rights and freedoms of the people, is prohibited.", and Article 4 relates to matrimonial equality, stating that "man and woman are equal under the law. The law shall protect the organization and development of the family."[a] Two more amparos for same-sex marriage rights were granted in Toluca in late October 2017.[10] One of the two couples married in December 2017, making them the first male couple to marry in the state.[11] By December 2017, six same-sex couples had been granted amparos to marry in the state.[11]

Legislative action

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In 2008, an initiative for the legalization of civil unions was introduced to the Congress of the State of Mexico, but stalled and was never voted on. In 2010, an initiative to legalize same-sex marriage was introduced to Congress, but similarly to the civil union proposal it stalled. After 3 years of legislative inaction, Deputy Octavio Martínez from the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) introduced a same-sex marriage bill to Congress in 2013.[12] In January 2014, Martínez said that the PRD would continue to press for the legalization of same-sex marriage and insisted that the bill be discussed by Congress.[13] In January 2015, Israfil Filós Real, the president of the Vulnerable Groups Civil Association (Spanish: Grupos Vulnerables Asociación Civil), called on lawmakers to pass the same-sex marriage bill.[14][15] Consequently, Governor Eruviel Ávila Villegas submitted a new marriage bill, while the PRD submitted a proposal to legalize adoption by same-sex couples on 5 March 2015.[16] A Congress session for the possible approval of Ávila Villegas' same-sex marriage bill was scheduled for 31 May 2016.[17] However, two political parties, the National Action Party (PAN) and the New Alliance Party, requested more time to study the proposal.[18] José Manzur Quiroga, the Secretary General of Government, announced that the bill may be voted on during Congress' next extraordinary session, though no vote took place for the following six years. The July 2018 elections resulted in the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), a party that supports same-sex marriage, winning the majority of legislative seats in Congress. Nevertheless, progress on the legalization of same-sex marriage continued to stall for the following four years.

Passage of legislation in 2022

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Another same-sex marriage bill was introduced to Congress in 2022 by Deputy Daniel Sibaja González (MORENA). A vote in a Congress committee was scheduled for the second week of September 2022.[19] The vote was delayed until 23 September however, and a plenary vote was scheduled for October.[20] On 23 September, the committee vote was postponed to the following week.[21] The committee approved the bill on 27 September.[22] A final, plenary vote was scheduled for Tuesday, 11 October 2022. The bill passed Congress on 11 October by 50 votes to 16. It was published in the official state journal on 1 November, following Governor Alfredo del Mazo Maza's signature, and took effect the next day.[23] The first same-sex marriage performed under the new law occurred on 2 November in Coacalco de Berriozábal between Leticia Chávez Rivera and María del Rosario Pérez Vilchis.[24]

Article 4bis of the Civil Code was amended to read:

  • in Spanish: El matrimonio es una institución de carácter público e interés social, por medio de la cual dos personas de manera libre y voluntaria deciden compartir un estado de vida para la búsqueda de su realización personal y conyugal, bajo las formalidades y solemnidades que establezca el presente Código.
  • (Marriage is a public and social institution, in which two people freely and voluntarily decide to share a community of life seeking personal and conjugal fulfillment, under the formalities and solemnities established by the present Code.)
Political party Members Yes No Abstain Absent
  National Regeneration Movement 29 29
  Institutional Revolutionary Party 23 5 16 2
  National Action Party 11 4 5 2
  Party of the Democratic Revolution 3 3
  Labor Party 3 3
  Ecologist Green Party of Mexico 2 2
  Citizens' Movement 2 2
  New Alliance Party 2 2
Total 75 50 16 7 2

Public opinion

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According to a 2018 survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, 38% of the State of Mexico public opposed same-sex marriage.[25]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ In Spanish: El varón y la mujer son iguales ante la ley. Esta protegerá la organización y el desarrollo de la familia.
    In Nahuatl: Se tlakatl uan se siuatl nochi sansemej ipan tlanauatilistli. Inin kin manauis nejchikolis uan iueixka iuikaluan.[8]
    In Otomi: Ra ñ’o̱ho ne ra be̱hñä rangutho di ge ra hmända. Nuna mädi ra mutsi ne ra te nuya mengu.[9]
    In Mazahua: Nu b’ezo ñe nu b’ejña ra chjejui nza kja mamu̷ nu tjuru̷. Nu tjuru̷ nu nge k’o ra pjoru̷ ja ra mimiji, ja ra b’u̷ntjoji ñe ja ra nok’u̷ texe in dyojui.
    In Matlatzinca: Wemja ixtan wexuwi ka bukjawewi be ch’aribawi. Ninji taremet’ani nitemɇti ixta nirijyo tesojɇ ronaschjori pimpi romaani.
    In Ocuiltec: Ñewendu jo ñechu miplañjɇ benye nlei. Wiñe tuprotejeru okua mukjolo jo okua mukjotyo nfamilia.

References

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  1. ^ Eulalio Victoria (11 October 2022). "Edomex le da el 'sí' al matrimonio igualitario". El Financiero. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  2. ^ MX, Político (2022-10-11). "Estado de México aprueba el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo". Político MX (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  3. ^ "Decreto Número 103" (PDF). Periodico Oficial del Estado de Mexico (in Spanish). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  4. ^ "Parejas gays sueñan con casarse". El Universal EdoMex. Archived from the original on 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  5. ^ "Aplazan 10 días amparo de cuatro parejas gay de Toluca para casarse". HoyEstado.com. 14 June 2013. Archived from the original on 26 November 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  6. ^ Redacción Plana Mayor (26 February 2015). "Reconoce SCJN matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo en Edomex; ordena modificar legislación". planamayor.com.mx. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Celebran primer matrimonio homosexual en Edo. de México" (in Spanish). Etcétera. 20 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Tlanejneuilyotl Tlen Sentikmaseualmej, Se Tekpanali: Sesenkatsitsij Tepanitali, Nauitipaj tlaijtoli". INALI. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Ndäthot'i, hñäsümpo̱te xe̲ni hnini ga̱tho m'onda̱" (PDF). INALI. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  10. ^ Mendoza, Veneranda (24 October 2017). "Dos parejas gay ganan amparo para casarse en el Edomex". Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Raymundo y Víctor, primer matrimonio Gay en Edomex". EL DEBATE. Archived from the original on 2019-03-23. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  12. ^ "Plana Mayor – Periodismo que se Escribe". planamayor.com.mx. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  13. ^ "PRD insistirá en legalizar matrimonio gay en Edomex". SDPnoticias.com. Archived from the original on 2019-03-23. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  14. ^ "Políticos solo hablan de la diversidad sexual en tiempos de campaña". Al Momento Noticias. Archived from the original on 2019-03-23. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  15. ^ "Denuncian "limbo" judicial de la PGJ del Edomex en crímenes contra gays". Al Momento Noticias. Archived from the original on 2019-03-23. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  16. ^ DEMOS, Desarrollo de Medios, S.A. de C.V. (6 March 2015). "La Jornada: Plantean regular bodas y adopción por parte de gays". unam.mx. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "MVS Noticias". MVS Noticias. 27 April 2020. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Saldrá adelante matrimonio gay en Edoméx: Manzur". HoyEstado.com. 31 May 2016. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Diputados listos para aprobar el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo en Edomex: Sibaja". Diario Portal (in Spanish). 5 September 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  20. ^ "El 23 de septiembre sesionarán comisiones el matrimonio igualitario". Diario Evolución (in Spanish). 13 September 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  21. ^ "La próxima semana emitirían dictamen sobre matrimonio igualitario". El Sol de Toluca (in Spanish). 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  22. ^ "Matrimonio igualitario avanza en Edomex: Comisiones lo aprueban y pasa al pleno". La Lista (in Spanish). 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Periodico Oficial del Estado de Mexico" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  24. ^ "Celebran el primer matrimonio igualitario en Edomex". netnoticias.com (in Spanish). 2 November 2022. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  25. ^ (in Spanish) #Data | ¿Quién está en contra del matrimonio gay? Archived 2019-04-16 at the Wayback Machine
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