Supporters of the decision cheer in Sonora on Thursday.
The Sonora state legislature approved same-sex marriage on Thursday, making it the 24th state in the country to do so.
Previously, same-sex couples in Sonora needed a judge’s order if they wanted to get married. The new reform makes it clear that marriage is a public institution between two people, regardless of sex.
“The rights of all people, without distinction, must be guaranteed by the law. It is something that has to do with human dignity… that is why to talk about equal marriage is to talk about human rights,” said Rosa Elena Trujillo, one of the Citizen’s Movement (MC) deputies who introduced the bill.
The legalization comes more than five years after the Supreme Court ruled that state laws defining marriage as “the union between a man and a woman, with the only purpose being procreation,” were unconstitutional.
The law passed with 25 in favor and eight National Action Party (PAN) deputies opposed.
Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo celebrated the move, calling it “an important step to approve and ratify that which the [Supreme Court] has already stipulated.”
“In my government, human rights will be respected when decisions are made; we respect everyone equally,” Durazo said.
With reports from Milenio and Expansión Política
