Allies join the fight for marriage equality in Yucatán
Members and supporters of Yucatán’s LGBTQI community gathered Monday to observe the international day against homophobia.
Participants at the event held around Mérida’s Monumento a la Patria carried pride flags and demanded that Yucatán stop dragging its feet when it comes to marriage equality.
In 2015 Mexico’s supreme court ruled that it was unconstitutional to prevent people of the same gender to marry. However, several jurisdictions including Yucatán have refused to ratify the decision.
Despite this ruling, Yucatán’s legislature voted in 2018 during a closed-door secretive session to continue refusing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
It is technically possible for same-sex couples to marry in Yucatán using a legal recourse known as an amparo, or an order of protection.
Earlier: Activists: Yucatán continues to lag behind on transgender rights
In late March, Mexico’s supreme court upheld its 2015 decision and called on Yucatán to comply with the law.
Because the court did not provide a timeframe, it is unlikely that a new vote in Yucatan’s legislature will take place before June’s upcoming midterm elections.
LGBTQI groups in Yucatán have called on its supporters to punish at the ballot box candidates who continue to oppose marriage equality.
However, the consensus view among legal scholars in the country is that marriage equality will not likely become a reality in Yucatán in the near future.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer, adventure leader, and PhD candidate. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
