June is Pride Month, and the capital of Mexico, Mexico City, celebrates it with the city government holding a mass wedding within the plaza of the city civil registry. 

Around 100 same-sex couples, many of whom traveled over 100 kilometers, tied the knot in the government-sponsored wedding event.

Along with Brazil and Argentina, Mexico is one of the top three Latin American countries with the highest number of same-sex marriages. Like its two North American counterparts, the United States and Canada, same-sex marriage is also recognized in most of Mexico. The Mexican Supreme Court has upheld the right for same-sex couples to marry twice already, with 27 Mexican states recognizing it.

Same-Sex Marriage Is Still Not Recognized Everywhere in Mexico

While the majority of Mexico's states have recognized same-sex marriage, five states have still not. One of these states is Guerrero, where one of the couples who attended the mass wedding hailed from. 

Dayanny Marcelo and Mayela Villalobos came all the way from the resort town of Acapulco in Guerrero state just to get married. The two recently spoke to AP news regarding their experience.

According to the couple, they traveled 235 miles (380 kilometers) to Mexico City to be able to tie the knot during the government-sponsored marriage ceremony. They told the Associated Press that same-sex relationships were still not accepted in Guerrero, and the state still has not yet recognized same-sex marriage. The two also admitted that there is still discrimination in their home state and there is an "ever-present fear of being rejected or attacked."

When the two arrived in Mexico City, they felt more at ease but still found it strange being able to display their affections to one another publicly.

Villalobos, who is originally from the northern state of Coahuila, said that she grew up in a conservative Christian community and felt an "internal struggle" before coming out at the age of 23. She moved to Acapulco in 2017, thinking she might experience more freedom there. She met her wife, Marcelo, who is an Acapulco native, in the resort town.

Both women told AP News that, unlike Acapulco, where there are a lot of "close-minded people with messages of hate," Mexico City was quite open in accepting relationships such as theirs.

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Mexico Still Has a Lot to Work on With LGBTQ Rights

While the mass marriage in Mexico City was hailed as a victory for LGBTQ rights in Mexico, many in the community have admitted that the work is still far from done. One of the leaders of the Mexican LGBTTTI+ Coalition, Mariaurora Mota, said that they are still working on various issues regarding the community. These include the guarantee to change one's gender identity, access to healthcare and social security, and also allowing transexual minors to change their gender on their birth certificates.

Twenty-seven of Mexico's 32 states have recognized same-sex marriage. In the five that do not recognize it, couples can get their marriage recognized federally through courts.

According to the Wilson Center, the 2010s was a huge period for the Mexican LGBTQ+ community and equal marriage rights. The wave of changes started in 2010 when Mexico City became the first entity in Mexico to legalize same-sex marriage. And throughout the next ten years, other states slowly followed suit.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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