Just last week, two men got married in Buenos Aires, Argentina after 34 years together as partners. The coolest part about this? The official crossed out “man and woman” on the license and instead wrote “contracting parties.”
They were able to get married because Argentina just recently passed a law that legalized gay marriage. Even though same-sex couples in Mexico City can wed, Argentina’s law is the first of its kind in Latin America, as it applies to the entire country. One of the most traditionally Roman Catholic nations legalized gay marriage. (Do you hear that U.S.?) Of course, it wasn’t without opposition from the church. But president Cristina Kirchner - typically perceived as corrupt and calculating – signed it into effect anyway.
Photo from Creative Commons via Flickr user blmurch
So what does this legally mean for gay Argentine couples? They’re able to adopt. They have the right to inheritance. And of course, they have all the other rights that hetereosexual couples do, the most important right being the one to love each other without shame. On public record. As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about all of my gay friends back in Buenos Aires where I lived for the past 2 1/2 years and it’s taking a lot of self-control to just make this blog one run on sentence full of exclamation marks. I also can’t help but think of all the people I’ve known throughout my life, gay or not, whose small contributions to this important struggle for human rights have led to this moment.
What does this mean for gay foreigners who live or travel to Argentina? Can they marry? Gay tourism is huge in Argentina, especially Buenos Aires, and its expected to increase because of this law. But same-sex couples will need to become residents of Argentina before becoming eligible, a process that I can attest to can take years to happen.
Argentina has its fair share of problems, including a horrendous subway system, outdated bureaucracy, government corruption, and remnants of a brutal dictatorship. While legalizing gay marriage doesn’t make any of those problems go away or seem okay, it gives me hope that things can change. And when people ask me about why I love Argentina, I can now proudly add gay marriage to the roster of steak, ice cream and tango.
What do you think? Has Argentina set a precedent that other Latin American nations will follow?
Celeste Hamilton just recently relocated to Portland, OR after living in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a couple of years. If you’re excited as she is about the new law and are interested in becoming involved with LGBTQ causes in Argentina, check out Federación Argentina LGBT, Comunidad Homosexual Argentina and Sigla.
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