Same-sex marriage in Zacatecas

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Same-sex marriage has been legal in Zacatecas since 30 December 2021. On 14 December 2021, the Congress of Zacatecas passed a same-sex marriage bill by 18 votes to 10. [1] The legislation was published in the official state gazette on 29 December, and came into force the following day. [2] Prior to statewide legalisation, five municipalities of Zacatecas issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples despite a state ban, comprising about a quarter of the state population. [3] [4] These five municipalities were Zacatecas City, Cuauhtémoc, Villanueva, Miguel Auza and Fresnillo.

Contents

Civil unions

A civil union bill was first proposed in Zacatecas in June 2011. The measure, which would have provided same-sex couples with a subset of the rights and benefits offered to married opposite-sex couples, was submitted to the Congress of Zacatecas on 30 June, but stalled in committee. The main sponsor of the bill said in 2013 that it was not prioritized. [5] It had gathered the support of one deputy from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), some independents and some deputies from the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), but was opposed by the conservative National Action Party (PAN). It was again discussed in March 2014, but the majority did not approve the measure. [6]

Same-sex marriage

Background

On 12 June 2015, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled 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 . The ruling standardized the procedures for judges and courts throughout Mexico to approve all applications for same-sex marriages and made the approval mandatory. Reacting to the Supreme Court ruling, a PRD deputy announced on 18 June 2015 that she would submit a bill to reform the state's civil and family codes to give same-sex couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples. A spokeswoman for the National Action Party immediately announced the party's opposition and condemned the Supreme Court ruling. [7] The PRD bill was still pending in Congress in November 2017. [8]

The state's first amparo was approved in May 2016. The couple, Rodolfo Eduardo Flores Nava and Francisco Domínguez Galindo, married in Zacatecas City in July 2016, making them the first same-sex couple to marry in Zacatecas. [9] On 3 April 2017, a lesbian couple from Fresnillo was granted the right to marry by a court. [10] Another same-sex couple from the same city was given the right to marry a few months later. They married in October 2017 in a private ceremony alongside family and friends; they were the first same-sex couple to marry in Fresnillo. [11] By January 2019, three same-sex couples had married in Zacatecas City. [12]

Attempt at legalization in 2019 and municipalities issuing licenses

The July 2018 elections resulted in the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), a party that supports same-sex marriage, winning a plurality of legislative seats in Zacatecas. [13] In late February 2019, MORENA Deputy Mónica Borrego Estrada introduced a new same-sex marriage bill to Congress, [14] [15] which she was hopeful would be passed "soon". Borrego Estrada called the heterosexual definition of marriage "a violation of the constitutions of Mexico and Zacatecas". [16] The National Council to Prevent Discrimination also called on the state to legalize same-sex marriage. [17] On 14 August 2019, Congress rejected the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in a 11–13 vote with 2 abstentions. [18]

On 14 February 2019, officials in Zacatecas City announced they would begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. [19] [20] Governor Alejandro Tello Cristerna argued that the marriages would be invalid and expressed his personal opposition to the recognition of same-sex marriage, saying that authorities had to be "careful dealing with the topic". [21] Bishop Sigifredo Noriega, who headed the Roman Catholic Diocese of Zacatecas, also stated his opposition, but nevertheless considered it necessary to find an alternative measure protecting the legal rights of same-sex couples without the "destruction of marriage". [22] The first couple married on 23 February, [23] and by 27 February another couple had married and five further couples had submitted marriage applications. [24] The municipality of Cuauhtémoc followed suit in legalizing same-sex marriage on 1 March, [25] and Villanueva on 20 May 2019. [26] By 5 July 2019, Miguel Auza had also announced its intention to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, [27] and in July 2020 the city council of Fresnillo approved a motion to conduct same-sex marriages in the municipality. [28] [29]

Passage of legislation in 2021

In September 2021, Deputy Xerardo Ramírez Muñoz from the Labor Party introduced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage to the Congress of Zacatecas. [30] The bill was passed by a Congress committee on 9 December, [31] and a final vote was scheduled for Tuesday, 14 December 2021. The legislation was passed by Congress on 14 December by a vote of 18–10 with 1 abstention. [32] The law was published on 29 December 2021, following Governor David Monreal Ávila's signature, and took effect the following day, on 30 December 2021. [2] The law ensures that married same-sex couples enjoy the same rights, benefits and responsibilities as married opposite-sex couples, including tax benefits, immigration rights, property rights, inheritance, etc., but excluding adoption rights. [33]

Article 100 of the Family Code was amended to read as follows:

  • in Spanish: El matrimonio es la unión jurídica de dos personas donde ambas, mediante una comunidad de vida, y procurándose respeto, igualdad y ayuda mutua, constituyan una familia.
  • (Marriage is the legal union of two people who, by means of a community of life, and procuring respect, equality and mutual aid, constitute a family.)
Political party MembersYesNoAbstainAbsent
Morena Party (Mexico).png National Regeneration Movement 981
PRI Party (Mexico).svg Institutional Revolutionary Party 761
PAN (Mexico).svg National Action Party 33
Worker's Party logo (Mexico).svg Labor Party 33
PRD logo without border (Mexico).svg Party of the Democratic Revolution 33
Partido Encuentro Social (Mexico).svg Social Encounter Party 22
PNA Party (Mexico).svg New Alliance Party 211
PVE Party (Mexico).svg Ecologist Green Party of Mexico 11
Total30181011

Marriage statistics

The following table shows the number of same-sex marriages performed in Zacatecas since 2021 as reported by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. [34]

Number of marriages performed in Zacatecas
YearSame-sexOpposite-sexTotal % same-sex
FemaleMaleTotal
2021208287,0117,0390.40%

Public opinion

A 2017 opinion poll conducted by Gabinete de Comunicación Estratégica found that 46% of Zacatecas residents supported same-sex marriage, while 49% were opposed. [35]

According to a 2018 survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, 37% of the Zacatecas public opposed same-sex marriage. [36]

See also

Related Research Articles

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Chile since 10 March 2022. In June 2021, the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, announced that his government would sponsor a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The Senate of Chile passed the legislation on 21 July 2021, and the Chamber of Deputies gave its approval on 23 November 2021. Disagreements on some aspects of the bill led to the formation of a mixed commission to discuss it. Both chambers of the National Congress approved an identical version of the bill on 7 December 2021. President Piñera signed the legislation into law on 9 December, and it was published in the Diario Oficial de la República de Chile on 10 December. The law took effect 90 days later, with the first same-sex marriages taking place on 10 March 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Same-sex marriage in Mexico</span> Overview of the status of same-sex marriage in Mexico

Same-sex marriage is legally recognized and performed throughout Mexico since 31 December 2022. On 10 August 2010 the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation ruled that same-sex marriages performed anywhere within Mexico must be recognized by the 31 states without exception, and fundamental spousal rights except for adoption have also applied to same-sex couples across the country.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Chihuahua since 12 June 2015. By statute, in Mexico, if any five rulings from the courts on a single issue result in the same outcome, legislatures are bound to change the law. In the case of Chihuahua, more than 20 individual amparos were decided with the same outcome, yet the Congress did not act. In anticipation of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation ordering the Congress to act, Governor César Duarte Jáquez announced on 11 June that there would be no further prohibition in the state. Marriage licenses became available the following day, 12 June 2015. Chihuahua was the third Mexican state to legalize same-sex marriage, after Quintana Roo and Coahuila.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Guerrero since 31 December 2022. After the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation ruled that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional nationwide under the Constitution of Mexico on 12 June 2015, officials in Guerrero began announcing plans for a collective group wedding. Governor Rogelio Ortega Martínez submitted a same-sex marriage bill to Congress on 7 July 2015 and instructed civil registrars to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Legislators lamented they would have preferred to have the bill passed before marriages took place, but given the time line presented, it was unlikely. On 10 July 2015, twenty same-sex couples were married by Ortega Martínez in Acapulco.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Michoacán since 23 June 2016. On 18 May 2016, the Congress of Michoacán approved a bill to legalise same-sex marriage by a vote of 27 in favour, none opposed and 8 abstentions. The law was published in the state's official journal on 22 June, and took effect the following day. Previously, Congress had refused to amend the Family Code to legalize same-sex marriage, despite a ruling by a state judge requiring it to do so.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Nayarit since 23 December 2015. A bill for the legalization of same-sex marriages was approved by the state Congress on 17 December in a 26–1 vote with 1 abstention. The law was published in the official state journal on 22 December and took effect the following day. Nayarit was the fourth Mexican state to legalise same-sex marriage after Quintana Roo, Coahuila and Chihuahua.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Chiapas in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling issued on 11 July 2017 that the ban on same-sex marriage violated the equality and non-discrimination provisions of Articles 1 and 4 of the Constitution of Mexico. The ruling, published in the Official Journal of the Federation on 11 May 2018, legalized same-sex marriage in the state of Chiapas.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Morelos since 5 July 2016. A bill to amend the State Constitution to legalize same-sex marriage in Morelos passed Congress on 18 May 2016 by 20 votes to 6. Ratification by a majority of the state's 33 municipalities was confirmed on 27 June 2016. The law was published in the official state gazette on 4 July 2016 and took effect the following day.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Querétaro since 13 November 2021. On 22 September 2021, the state Congress passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage in Querétaro. The law was published in the state's official gazette on 12 November, and took effect the following day. Previously, same-sex couples could marry in eight of the eighteen municipalities of Querétaro, comprising 60% of the state's population, despite a state law prohibiting same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage is legal in Puebla in accordance with a ruling from the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. On 1 August 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that the same-sex marriage ban containted in the state's Civil Code violated Articles 1 and 4 of the Constitution of Mexico, legalizing same-sex marriage in the state of Puebla. The ruling was officially published in the Official Journal of the Federation on 16 February 2018.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Tlaxcala since 25 December 2020. Legislation to legalise same-sex marriage passed the Congress of Tlaxcala on 8 December 2020 by a vote of 16–3, and came into force on 25 December. Tlaxcala has also recognised civil unions, which grant several of the rights and benefits of marriage, for both opposite-sex and same-sex couples since 12 January 2017.

Same-sex marriage is legal in Nuevo León is legal in accordance with a ruling from the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation on 19 February 2019 that the state's ban on same-sex marriage violated the Constitution of Mexico. The ruling came into effect on 31 May 2019 upon publication in the Official Journal of the Federation. By statute, in Mexico, if any five rulings from the courts on a single issue result in the same outcome, legislatures are bound to change the law. In the case of Nuevo León, almost 20 individual amparos were decided with the same outcome, yet the state did not act. On 19 February 2019, the Supreme Court issued a definitive ruling in an action of unconstitutionality, declaring the state's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional, void and unenforceable. Same-sex marriage was codified into law by the Nuevo León Congress on 14 June 2023.

Same-sex marriage is legal in Aguascalientes in accordance with a ruling from the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation on 2 April 2019 that the state's ban on same-sex marriage violated Articles 1 and 4 of the Constitution of Mexico. The ruling came into effect upon publication in the Official Gazette of the Federation on 16 August 2019, legalizing same-sex marriage in Aguascalientes.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Hidalgo since 11 June 2019. A bill for the legalization of same-sex marriages in Hidalgo was approved by the state Congress on 14 May 2019. It was published in the official state journal on 10 June and took effect the following day.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in San Luis Potosí since 21 May 2019. The state Congress approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage on 16 May 2019. It was signed into law by Governor Juan Manuel Carreras on 17 May and published in the official state journal on 20 May. The law took effect the following day, legalizing same-sex marriage in San Luis Potosí.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Baja California Sur since 29 June 2019. On 27 June, the state Congress passed a bill opening marriage to same-sex couples. It was published in the official state gazette on 28 June and took effect the following day, legalizing same-sex marriage in Baja California Sur.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Sinaloa since 30 June 2021. On 12 June 2021, a federal court ordered the Congress of Sinaloa to pass a same-sex marriage law by 15 June, in accordance with jurisprudence established by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. Subsequently, same-sex marriage legislation passed Congress unanimously on 15 June. It was published in the official state journal on 29 June, and entered into force the following day, making Sinaloa the 20th Mexican state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Guanajuato since 20 December 2021. That day, the Secretary General of Government, Libia Dennise García Muñoz, issued an official directive addressed to officials of the state civil registry that, effective immediately, same-sex couples can marry in the state. Guanajuato became the 23rd Mexican state, and the 24th jurisdiction, to legalize same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Tabasco since 27 October 2022. A bill to legalise same-sex marriage was passed by the Congress of Tabasco on 19 October 2022. It was signed by Governor Carlos Manuel Merino Campos, and published in the official state journal on 26 October, taking effect the next day. Tabasco was the fourth-to-last state in Mexico to legalize same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Durango since 19 September 2022 in accordance with an executive order issued by Governor Esteban Villegas Villarreal the previous day, addressed to officials of the state civil registry that same-sex couples can marry in the state. The Congress of Durango passed same-sex marriage legislation three days later.

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