Argentina and gay marriage

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Argentina since July 22, Bills to legalize same-sex marriage were introduced to the National Congress in by deputies from the Socialist and New Encounter parties. Argentina is the only country in the world where both residents and non-residents can get married legally. This law was mostly enacted to approve of equal marriage. Not only for native Argentinians but for anyone in the world who want to come to Argentina to get married legally and officially, and obtain international acknowledgment.

Argentina has made significant strides in recent years, becoming the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage in and implementing progressive policies such as allowing people to change their gender on legal documents without medical or judiciary permission. Supporters of the legalisation of gay marriage celebrate in the streets in Argentina. Argentina has become the first country in Latin America to legalise gay marriage after the Senate voted in favour. The country's Chamber of Deputies had already approved the legislation.

Argentina passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage exactly thirteen years ago, July 15, , becoming the second country in the Americas and the tenth worldwide to do so. Demonstrators in favour of same-sex marriage gathered outside Argentina's Congress on 14 July. BBC News online readers in Argentina have been reacting to their country's decision to legalise gay marriage. The new law, which also allows same-sex couples to adopt, had met with fierce opposition from the Catholic Church and other religious groups.

Argentina belongs to a small group of (nineteen) countries where equal marriage is legal. Out of those countries, only in Argentina are non-residents and tourists allowed to get married. It is not necessary to have any relatives or to have visited the country before. Despite its recent successes, the gay rights movement in Latin America is generally ignored in discussions of contemporary Latin American politics. Even students of Latin American social movements have traditionally shunned the activism by gay rights organizations. Consequently, it is not easy for scholars, and much less for the casual observer, to make sense of the patchwork of gay marriage laws emerging from Latin America in recent years.