Thursday, July 15, 2010

Argentina legalizes marriage equality for its citizens




Just a few hours ago, The predominantly Catholic country of Argentina became the first country in Latin America to legalize gay marriage. The country became the tenth worldwide to legally recognize same-sex marriage, joining the ranks of Belgium, Canada, Iceland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. 

Their Senate passed the bill in a 33-17 vote after more than 15 hours of debate.  In addition to giving same-sex couples the same legal rights and protections as male-female couples, the legislation also legalizes adoption by same-sex couples. Sen. Norma Morandini, an member of the president's party in Argentina, 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.



UPDATE: Video footage from outside the capital as the decision was announced:


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