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Kenito
Site Admin
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 1:30 am
Posts: 656
Location: Rosarito, Baja California, MX
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 Argentina Leads Latin America Toward Gay Marriage? Maybe? Leading Latin America in the push for gay rights
Why Argentina might become the first Latin American country to legalize gay marriage.
By Julia Kumari Drapkin — GlobalPost
Published: December 11, 2009
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — There were rose petals and rice on the ground in front of the civil registry in Buenos Aires. But in the end they weren't for Alex Freyre and Jose Maria Di Bello, the gay couple hoping to achieve Latin America's first same-sex marriage.
On the eve of their wedding day last week, a national judge overturned a city court decision to issue them a marriage license. The couple came to the registry anyway, vowing not to leave until they were wed.
Protesters quietly mingled among the crowd of supporters. Roxanna Olivera, 33, wore a tie-dye rainbow shirt that said, "Jesus is Your Alternative." "What will we tell our children," she said watching the gay rights supporters waving flags and chanting for Alex and Jose. "There's a law of God we need to follow."
Tim Thomas, host of the gay radio program "Tal Como Somos," politely interrupted Olivera. "It's not just about children. We don't have the same rights that you do. It's a question of civil rights."
The issue of gay marriage is being discussed all over Argentina lately with the prospective wedding of Freyre and Di Bello. So how is it that Argentina — a country that strongly identifies with the Catholic Church and machismo culture — continues to lead Latin America in the push for gay rights?
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