There were celebrations in Mexico City's downtown Alameda park on March 4 as 31 same-sex couples applied for marriage licenses at the Civil Registry on the nearby Arcos de Belén avenue under a new law that took effect that day in the Federal District (DF). The DF legislature passed the law on Dec. 21, making Mexico City the first city in Latin America to recognize same-sex marriages.

Theater director and performer Jesusa Rodríguez and Argentine-born singer Liliana Felipe were among the applicants, along with activists Judith Vázquez and Lol Kin Castañeda. Only 19 of the couples completed their registrations, but legal adviser Leticia Bonifaz Alfonzo said the other 12 couples simply needed to come back another day with additional documentation. Conservative forces are challenging the law’s constitutionality, but even if the Supreme Court rules against same-sex marriage, couples that have already married will be protected, according to Bonifaz Castañeda. (La Jornada, March 5)

From Weekly News Update on the Americas, March 9

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