Same-sex marriage in Aguascalientes

Same-sex marriage is legal in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes. On 2 April 2019, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) struck down articles 143, 144 and 113 bis of the State Civil Code, thereby legalizing same-sex marriages in the state. The ruling came into effect upon publication in the Official Gazette of the Federation on 16 August 2019.

History

Same-sex unions performed in Mexican states

  Same-sex marriages performed.*
Stripes: Proportion of municipal coverage.

  Civil unions performed; marriage by amparo only.

  Marriage not performed (except by amparo) despite Supreme Court order.

  Marriage accessible by amparo or by traveling out of state.

*Legislation is not equal in all states. See details.

Legislative action

In September 2014, PRD legislator Cuauhtemoc Escobedo Tejada announced that a civil union bill and possibly a same-sex marriage bill were to be introduced by the Governor of the state for consideration. Escobeda Tejada further announced that if the Governor did not introduce a bill, the PRD would.[1] On 4 November 2014, Escobedo presented a civil union initiative, defining the partnership as "living together, forming a heritage, having children if they wish, and dealing with situations that arise for a couple." A citizens' initiative on same-sex marriage had been presented a few weeks prior to his initiative.[2] Debate on three initiatives with different schemes for marriage and civil unions began on 21 November 2014.[3]

On 15 June 2016, a PAN congresswoman indicated that her party was preparing another civil union proposal and would present it to Congress when ready.[4] In April 2017, the president of the Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos de Aguascalientes announced that they would introduce a new same-sex marriage proposal.[5] In October 2017, a PRD deputy introduced a same-sex marriage and concubinage bill to the state Congress.[6][7]

In April 2018, PAN, which holds a majority of seats in the Aguascalientes Congress, announced that it would continue to oppose same-sex marriage and would not allow the marriage or concubinage bills to be approved.[8]

Injunctions

Further information: Same-sex marriage in Mexico § México Igualitario Project

Despite same-sex marriage not being legal at the time, several same-sex couples were able to legally marry in individual cases, through a process called recurso de amparo. Amparos are commonly known as "injunctions" in English.

In May 2014, a male same-sex couple requested an injunction against the Civil Registry in Aguascalientes for refusing to allow them to marry and against the constitutionality of sections 143 and 144 of the Civil Code.[9][10] The injunction was approved on 29 August 2014.[11] A lesbian couple also applied for an amparo in May and received a favorable response on 2 September 2014.[12][13]

On 1 September 2014, Julián Elizalde Peña, coordinator of the organization Colectivo SerGay de Aguascalientes, announced that a third injunction had been requested,[14] and on 3 September 2014, the first same-sex wedding was held in Aguascalientes.[15]

On 13 October 2014, Elizalde Peña announced that a fourth individual amparo was pending and that a collective injunction was in process.[16] By May 2016, seven injunctions had been granted to same-sex couples in the state. Another nine couples had requested to marry.[17]

In December 2016, another same-sex couple was granted an amparo,[18] while on 25 January 2017, the Fourth District Court granted an amparo to two women who sought to marry in the state.[19] In late November 2017, four more amparos were granted by the courts.[20]

By December 2017, 14 same-sex couples had married in the state.[21] That number had increased to 23 in 2018.[22]

Action of unconstitutionality

In 2018, an action of unconstitutionality against various articles of the Civil Code pertaining to marriage and concubinage was filed before the Mexican Supreme Court. The action, presented by the Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos de Aguascalientes, challenged, among others, articles 143, 144 and 113 bis of the Code, which limited marriage to opposite-sex couples in order to "perpetuate the species".

On 2 April 2019, the full bench of the Supreme Court unanimously invalidated the state's marriage ban, ruling it void, unenforceable and unconstitutional. This effectively resulted in the legalization of same-sex marriage in Aguascalientes.[23][24][25][26] The Court further ruled that article 73 of the Law on the Security of Social Services for Public Servants (Spanish: Ley de Seguridad de Servicios Sociales para los Servidores Públicos) was unconstitutional in limiting social security and health services to opposite-sex married or cohabiting couples.[27] The Court had also, one week prior, prohibited the recognition of child marriages.[28]

The ruling came into effect upon publication in the Official Gazette of the Federation (Diario Oficial de la Federación) on 16 August 2019.[29] Prior to this date, the Civil Registry had already begun issuing same-sex marriage certificates. A couple applied to marry the same day as the ruling was handed down, and wed shortly thereafter.[30] On 6 April, a same-sex couple of 11 years wed in a Masonic ceremony.[31]

Public opinion

A 2017 opinion poll conducted by Gabinete de Comunicación Estratégica found that 50% of Aguascalientes residents supported same-sex marriage. 45% were opposed.[32]

According to a 2018 survey by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI), 36% of the Aguascalientes public opposed same-sex marriage.[33]

See also

• Same-sex marriage in Mexico
• LGBT rights in Mexico

References

1. Itzel Acero (2015-02-17). "Se debe legislar en cuanto a las sociedades de convivencia y matrimonio igualitario". LJA.mx. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
2. "Presentará PRD iniciativa de unión civil para parejas del mismo sexo". Galatvaguascalientes.tv. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
3. Carlos Alonso López (2014-11-18). "Tiene el Poder Legislativo tres iniciativas sobre matrimonio igualitario". LJA.mx. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
4. Huerta, Alejandra (15 June 2016). "Prepara PAN figura alternativa a matrimonios igualitarios". La Jornada Aguascalientes.
5. (in Spanish) Presentará Cedha nueva propuesta de matrimonio igualitario al Congreso
6. (in Spanish) Matrimonio igualitario será dictaminado por la legislatura actual
7. (in Spanish) Asegura PRD que sí se legislará matrimonio igualitario
8. (in Spanish) PAN SIGUE OPONIÉNDOSE A LOS DERECHOS DE LA COMUNIDAD LGBT DE AGUASCALIENTES
9. Itzel Acero (2014-05-16). "Anuncian la primera solicitud de matrimonio igualitario en Aguascalientes &#124". LJA.mx. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
10. "Interponen amparo para primer matrimonio gay en Aguascalientes &#124" (in Spanish). Imagen.com.mx. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
11. "Obtiene pareja gay amparo federal". Ultra.com.mx. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
12. "Interponen amparo para primer matrimonio gay en Aguascalientes" (in Spanish). Excelsior.com.mx. 2014-05-15. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
13. "Realizarían en octubre doble boda 'gay' en Querétaro". Edomex.quadratin.com.mx. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
14. "Matrimonio gay Será un Hecho en el Estado: Colectivo SerGay | Página 24". Pagina24.com.mx. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
15. 04 Sep, 2014 Print this article Font size -16+ (17 October 2013). "Ya se Podrá Realizar la Primera Boda Homosexual en Aguascalientes". La voz de la nacion. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
16. "Confía comunidad gay de Aguascalientes en la viabilidad de matrimonios entre parejas del mismo sexo". Aguasdigital. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
17. "El Registro Civil ha recibido 9 solicitudes de matrimonio gay". El Heraldo - Noticias de Aguascalientes. 30 May 2016.
18. (in Spanish) Se suma otro amparo sobre matrimonio igualitario a juzgado de distrito
19. (in Spanish) Pareja homosexual de Aguascalientes gana amparo para contraer matrimonio
20. Crece el número de amparos para matrimonios igualitarios
21. (in Spanish) SOCIEDAD Y JUSTICIARegistro Civil casó a ocho parejas del mismo sexo en 2017
22. "EN 2018 SE CASARON 23 PAREJAS DEL MISMO SEXO EN AGUASCALIENTES". La Jornada Aguascalientes (in Spanish). 5 February 2019.
23. "La Corte invalida definición del matrimonio en Aguascalientes; protege a uniones igualitarias". Proceso.com.mx (in Spanish). 2 April 2019.
24. "Suprema Corte declara inconstitucional negar matrimonio gay en Aguascalientes". Desatre.mx (in Spanish). 3 April 2019.
25. "Celebra CNDH resolución de la SCJN para permitir el matrimonio igualitario y para garantizar los derechos de personas trabajadoras en activo y pensionadas, y de quienese viven con discapacidad en el Estado de Aguascalientes" (PDF) (in Spanish). Comisión National de los Derechos Humanos. 3 April 2019.
26. (in Spanish) ACCIÓN DE INCONSTITUCIONALIDAD 40/2018, Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación
27. (in Spanish) Invalida Corte mandatos de ley de seguridad social de Aguascalientes
28. (in Spanish) SCJN prohíbe absolutamente matrimonio entre menores en Aguascalientes
29. "SENTENCIA dictada por el Tribunal Pleno de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación en la Acción de Inconstitucionalidad 40/2018, así como los Votos Concurrente formulado por el Ministro José Fernando Franco González Salas, Particular formulado por el Ministro Juan Luis González Alcántara Carrancá y Particulares y Concurrentes formulados por el Ministro Presidente Arturo Zaldívar Lelo de Larrea, así como Voto Aclaratorio formulado por el Ministro Alfredo Gutiérrez Ortiz Mena". Official Gazette of the Federation (in Spanish). 16 August 2019.
30. Cynthia Andrade (10 April 2019). "Aprueban el primer matrimonio igualitario en Aguascalientes sin necesidad de amparo". Newsweek (in Spanish).
31. Carlos Olvera Zurita (7 April 2019). "En Aguascalientes, Se Registra Primer Matrimonio Entre Varones Aceptado Por Una Logia Masónica". La Jornada Aguascalientes (in Spanish).
32. (in Spanish) Encuesta nacional 2017, Gabinete de Comunicación Estratégica
33. (in Spanish) #Data | ¿Quién está en contra del matrimonio gay?