Baja California Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage In Third Attempt

MEXICALI, BAJA CALIFORNIA (KYMA/KECY) - Baja California's Congress has widely approved same-sex marriage after various attempts in 2020 and 2019.

The huge win for the LGBTQ+ community in Baja California comes during Pride month and was made possible by politicians that are part of Mexico's National Regeneration Movement party MORENA.

"It's clear that people in Baja are not opposed to this," said MORENISTA Delegate Juan Manuel Molina. "On June 6th, voters voted for us and they knew the stance of our candidates on this topic; human rights are not to be questioned nor disputed."

The reform faced several opposition votes, two from the only National Action Party (PAN) delegates Loreto Quintero Quintero and Eva Maria Maria Vasquez (who also ran in Mexicali's mayor race) as well as Efren Moreno Rivera of the Green Party (PVEM) and Victor Manuel Moran Hernandez (MORENA).

The vote comes a day after the Mexican state of Sinaloa also approved a similar measure that made access to marriage a human right as well as adjusting what is defined as a marriage under the eye of the law.

The measure now has to be approved by 3 of the 5 local governments in Baja California.

Prior to the reform, Article 7 of Article 143 of the Civil Code defined marriage as "a right for society" as a union "between a man with a woman." That definition has now been stricken from state law.

Article 143 will now read that marriage in Baja California is the 'free union between two persons' where they will be joint and have ' respect, equality and mutual aid' for each other.

The journey to get here has also faced criticism and opposition from the public accompanied by members of the Catholic Church.

Advocates for same-sex marriage in Baja California will now be pushing for even more states to legalize it, their next stop: Yucatan. Groups like All Out in Latin America will fight until same-sex marriage is legal in all 32 states.