Gay Weddings Boom Under Argentina's New Marriage Law

Argentina catapulted into the ranks of nations allowing full civil marriage for same sex couples back earlier in the year. In addition to underscoring the falsity of the USA's supposed constitutional guaranties to its LGBT citizens, Argentina made it clear that religion and the civil laws are separate spheres where the religious beliefs of some do not get the authority to deprive other citizens of their civil legal right to equality in all things. Now, as the Guardian reports, gay marriage is become a big business in Argentina which is aggressively marketing itself as a gay travel and wedding destination. In fact, at the NGLCC national dinner I attended last month, the Argentine Ministry of Tourism provided the after dinner entertainment and party. Here are highlights from the Guardian article:
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Five months ago Argentina became the first country in Latin America, and one of only a handful of nations in the world, to legalise same-sex marriage. Since then the country has seen hundreds of gay couples saying "I do" and the birth of a booming new economy catering for the increasingly lucrative gay wedding market. For many people, business has never been better.
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Five hundred same-sex marriages have taken place in Argentina since the legislation was passed on 22 July, with hundreds more planned for the new year. Marini says that in recent months she has seen dozens of other gay wedding planning businesses launch in the capital, with more than 300 suppliers now trying to target the gay market.
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"Attitudes have changed since the legalisation," she says. "This time last year, when we called hotels or restaurants scoping potential venues for parties or civil partnerships, we'd get told that they didn't cater for those kind of functions."
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Now, she says, everyone is desperate to get in on the action. "We get the same places calling us begging us to bring our gay clients in to do viewings. Suddenly people have realised that the gay community is enforcing its right to get married and couples are spending a lot of money doing so."
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Gay couples often far outspend their heterosexual counterparts. The wedding industry in Argentina estimates that gay couples spend up to 30% more on their big day, with budgets stretching to $25,000 (£16,000).
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[M]any of Gay Planners' and Delicias Gourmet's wedding clients have been together for decades. While civil partnerships have been permitted in Argentina since 2003, couples say the legalisation of same-sex marriage finally gives them the same rights as heterosexual couples.
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Many of Argentina's same-sex weddings take place in the capital, but services are being held across the country. . . . Alongside their event planning services, Gay Planners also offers a range of legal services for foreign clients travelling to Argentina to take advantage of the new laws.