Twenty couples got married in a mass ceremony on an Acapulco beach on Friday, one month after Mexico’s top court all but legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
With Guerrero state’s governor and wife as witnesses, the 15 male and five female couples exchanged vows as the sun set, surrounded by about 200 people.
“It’s a big step. It’s something I have always wanted since I was very little and I wanted to start a family,” Alejandra Jimenez Soler said after she was declared married to a hotel worker whom she had been dating for more than a year.
Holding a bouquet of roses, the 17-year-old Acapulco resident was among the youngest people in the group.
Despite her youth, Jimenez said she took a “responsible, mature, reasoned” decision in the face of her family’s disappointment with her homosexuality.
“I feel terrible that my family isn’t here to support me, because they should accept you as you are,” she said.
Under the theme of “Guerrero, to love is a right,” the mass ceremony was sealed with a toast and a wedding cake as a mariachi band played.
Acapulco Governor Rogelio Ortega promoted the event despite opposition from some politicians and the Roman Catholic Church.
Mexico’s top court opened the door to same-sex unions throughout the country of nearly 120 million people on June 3, when it ruled that it was unconstitutional for states to ban them.
While the “jurisprudence” issued by the court does not oblige states to change their laws, it requires courts to rule in favor of same-sex couples whose marriages were rejected.
Following the ruling, Ortega’s administration instructed civil registries to approve marriage licenses for gay people.
Acapulco’s mayor tried to block same-sex marriages, arguing that the local civil code must be amended first.
However, the civil registry went along with the governor’s orders and approved Friday’s licenses.
“We respect all beliefs because we are inclusive when it comes to civil rights,” Ortega said during the ceremony.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was