As Above, So Below

Canada legalized same-sex marriage in 2005 and was the first country in the Americas to do so. Just slightly less than five years later, Mexico City legalized same-sex unions. In mid-July of this year, Argentina legalized it. And now, the Mexican Supreme Court has ruled that such marriages must be recognized nationwide. I like this rapid progress!

The court had already ruled this month that Mexico City’s same-sex marriage law, which took effect in March and has resulted in hundreds of same-sex marriages, was constitutional.

But on Tuesday, the court went a step further, ruling 9 to 2 against a complaint from the attorney general’s office, which had said that other jurisdictions should not be required to honor marriages that were performed in Mexico City.

This is a huge win for us. Despite the fact the other Mexican states are not required to offer same-sex marriages, this court ruling still is a giant step forward, and places the United States in the position of being surrounded by legally married gay folks.

Perhaps someday we'll join them. But will the United States be the last country in the Americas to make it legal? That wouldn't surprise me.