Argentina Legalizes Gay Marriage

In a stunning display of what true support for equality under the civil law looks like and of what can be done when top politicians stop giving a pass to and rolling over for religious based bigotry, Argentina approved gay marriage with identical rights as those afforded to heterosexual couples. Politicians from the nation's president on down refused to be bullied by or endorse the religious based bigotry of the Roman Catholic Church (which has facilitated and covered up the rape of hundreds of thousands of children and youth worldwide), the Mormon Church and other anti-gay religious denominations. Would that there were politicians that understood the concept of true religious freedom and the difference between civil and religious marriage here in the increasingly backwards USA. I applaud Argentina's bold willingness to move into future instead of embracing the ignorance and prejudice of the past as is unfortunately still the norm here in America and states like Virginia. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Jim Webb to name but a few, are you paying attention? It looks like the boyfriend and I have another country to consider now if we decide to get the Hell out of the USA where we are not treated as full citizens. Here are highlights from the New York Times:
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Argentina legalized same-sex marriage Thursday, becoming the first country in Latin America to grant gays and lesbians all the legal rights, responsibilities and protections that marriage brings to heterosexual couples.
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After a marathon debate, 33 lawmakers voted in favor, 27 were against it and 3 abstained in Argentina's Senate in a vote that ended after 4 a.m. Since the lower house already approved it, and President Cristina Fernandez is a strong supporter, it now becomes law as soon as it is published in the official bulletin.
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The law is sure to bring a wave of marriages by gays and lesbians who have increasingly found Buenos Aires to be more accepting than many other places in the region.
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The approval came despite a concerted campaign by the Roman Catholic Church and evangelical groups, which drew 60,000 people to march on Congress and urged parents in churches and schools to work against passage.
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As the debate stretched on for nearly 16 hours, supporters and opponents of held rival vigils through the frigid night outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires.
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Sen. Norma Morandini, another member of the president's party, compared the discrimination closeted gays face to the oppression imposed by Argentina's dictators decades ago. ''What defines us is our humanity, and what runs against humanity is intolerance,'' she said.
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Same-sex civil unions have been legalized in Uruguay, Buenos Aires and some states in Mexico and Brazil. Mexico City has legalized gay marriage. Colombia's Constitutional Court granted same-sex couples inheritance rights and allowed them to add their partners to health insurance plans.
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But Argentina now becomes the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, granting gays and lesbians all the same rights and responsibilities that heterosexuals have. These include many more rights than civil unions, including adopting children and inheriting wealth.
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Gay rights advocates said Argentina's historic step adds momentum to similar efforts around the world. ''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, who runs the U.S. Freedom to Marry lobby.
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He urged U.S. lawmakers to stand 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.''