After three hours of debate, Puebla’s state Congress voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to change the state civil code to recognize same-sex marriage, a highly anticipated move that comes years after Puebla’s ban against same-sex marriage was struck down by a court order.

The vote came three years after the Supreme Court (SCJN) upheld the legality of same-sex marriage in the state in 2017, when it struck down as unconstitutional the articles of Puebla’s civil code defining marriage and common-law marriage as between a man and a woman.

Yesterday’s vote, which passed 31-5, officially changed parts of the civil code to be in compliance with the court decision, changing gender-specific references in parts of the civil code that referred to marriage and to common-law relationships from “man and woman” to “persons.”

The part of the civil code relating to marriage will now state, “Marriage is a civil contract by which two persons who join together voluntarily in society in order to carry out a life together with respect, mutual aid, and an equality of rights and obligations.”

The vote was not without controversy. Some opposition lawmakers accused the governing Morena party, which holds the governorship and a majority in the state Congress, of bad faith and trying to curry favor with voters in next year’s elections.

They said similar legislation was proposed last year by a coalition of opposition parties but Morena members turned it down.

By contrast, the lawmakers said, Morena quickly passed the changes within eight days of the bill being proposed.

An August survey by pollster Massive Caller predicted that Morena would defeat its main opposition, the National Action Party, next June but by a narrow margin of only 2.2%.

Yesterday’s vote makes Puebla the 19th state to approve same-sex marriage.

Source: El Financiero (sp)