MEXICO: Love Wins In Baja California

The first same-sex marriage in the Mexican state of Baja California took place yesterday after a local couple finally prevailed over the hate group that thwarted their wedding last week by charging them with mental illness. Via the San Diego U-T:

Two Mexicali residents became the first same-sex couple to be married in Baja California on Saturday, ending a quest that began nearly two years after they first sought a marriage license. Victor Fernando Urias Amparo, 37, and Victor Manuel Aguirre Espinoza, 43, took their vows amid a crush of media and supporters outside Mexicali City Hall. “Yes we could, yes we could,” the crowd cheered in Spanish. The impromptu wedding ceremony came as a surprise to the pair, who had come to City Hall on Saturday morning to participate in a gay rights demonstration, said their attorney, Jose Luis Marquez. They had received hints that a wedding might take place, but were doubtful. They had already been rejected three times, despite an order from Mexico’s Supreme Court last June. The last try was halted Jan. 10 after officials with the city’s civil registry received a complaint that the men “suffer from madness.” The complaint was filed by a volunteer who gives mandatory premarital talks to couples preparing for civil ceremonies. Earlier, she had refused to certify the couple in her seminar.

Video by Rex Wockner.