The Argentine Senate just voted 33-27 (with 3 abstentions) to provide equal marriage rights for all its citizens! The debate began early afternoon Wednesday, went into the night, and then into a new day. An alternative bill, to provide civil unions instead of marriage, was shot down via parliamentary maneuvering early in process.
Some months ago, on May 5th, 2010, the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of the Argentine legislature) voted 125-109 for same-sex marriage. Argentina's President, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, has said that she would not block the bill from becoming law if it were passed by the Senate. (Although the bill will now have to go back to the Lower House due to a few changes in the wording of certain sections).
Argentina thus will become the first country in South America to promulgate equal marriage rights, but not the first jurisdiction in Latin America to do so. That honor belongs to Mexico City, whose law took effect on March 4th, 2010. Argentina becomes the 10th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, and one of the more populous (after Spain and South Africa), with a population of approximately 40 million.
The bill does not prevent same-sex couples from being able to adopt -- unlike Portugal's recent gay marriage legislation, which specifically does not allow gay or lesbian couples to adopt. In fact,
The law would allow gay couples to adopt children without the three-year waiting period that exists for heterosexual couples under 30, who must prove they cannot procreate...
(One has to wonder how one proves that negative: "But officer, we've been having sex twice a day for three years now...")
Commenting on the protests against same-sex marriage ignited by the Catholic Church in the days before the vote, the New York Times reported that President Kirchner
... harshly criticized church leaders on Monday, saying that their discourse on the issue resembled "the times of the Crusades" and that they failed to acknowledge how socially liberal Argentina had become.
On the other hand
In calling on Catholics to reject gay marriage, the church called the bill the devil's handiwork. Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio said the movement was backed by "the Father of Lies" and "aims to confuse and deceive the children of God."
According to the Times, polls showed that
... nearly 70 percent of Argentinians support giving gay people the same marital rights as heterosexuals.
which is pretty incredible, considering that support in the United States has not yet reached 50%.
The first legal same-sex marriage in Argentina took place on December 28th, 2009, in Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego, between Alex Freyre and José María Bello, after the Governor of the province, as Wikipedia reports
ordered the Civil Registry Office to perform and register their marriage... making them the first same-sex couple to marry in Latin America.
Until and unless someone gets married in Antarctica, that marriage may well hold on to the record for the world's southernmost same-sex marriage.
Congratulations are in order to those Argentinians who have already been wed, and the many more who will become wed once this statute takes effect.
Some tweets and quotes from the debate in the Senate that took place today:
MARRIAGE EQUALITY IS LAW IN ARGENTINA 33-27 (midnight, Pacific Time)
Sen. Pichetto invokes Thomas Jefferson in arguing on behalf of marriage equality in Argentina
the first couple to get married in Argentina is at the Argentina senate and says it will win by 2 votes tonight
The latest: PARLAMENTARIO says that marriage equality will win by one vote tonight (9 pm Pacific Time)
PARLAMENTARIO predicts a 34-32 win or a 33-33 tie with 1 extra vote to win BUT... those votes have shown some fluidity & there is a real chance of a loss tonight
Grey haired lady str8 out of a Pixar movie? Natural order blah man & woman blah law of god blah...
PARLAMENTARIO: 33 senators to vote yes to marriage equality, 32 no, 1 undecided
Sen. José Pampuro, the interim senate president, has already stated that, in case of a tie, his extra vote will be YES
Sen. Cimadevilla: We are discussing legislation, anything else is pure fundamentalism
Sen. Luis Juez: They dont need pity, hugs, kisses, they need rights
Sen. Luis Juez: legislators cannot be indifferent to the rights denied to others
Sen. Luis Juez: Hasn't found ONE text in the bible in which Jesus discriminated against gays
Sen. Negre de Alonso: Children should not be taught about gay sex, there are nude images.
Sen. Negre de Alonso: Argued that she opposed marriage equality "to protect children."
Some Argentinian videos shown in favor of equal marriage rights:
Update:
"Today's historic vote shows how far Catholic Argentina has come, from dictatorship to true democratic values, and how far the freedom to marry movement has come as twelve countries on four continents now embrace marriage equality. Argentina's vote for the freedom to marry marks an important advance for fairness and family values as more couples around the world will now share in marriage, with families helped and no one hurt. Today's vote adds momentum to the international movement to secure the freedom to marry for all loving and committed couples.
"Key to Argentina's human rights achievement was strong leadership from legislators and the president. It is time we see more of our own elected officials standing up for the Constitution and all families here in the United States. America should lead, not lag, when it comes to treating everyone equally under the law." The Advocate, quoting Evan Wolfson