AN historic vote in favour of gay marriage yesterday made Portugal the sixth in Europe to approve same-sex unions – and, as we pointed out yesterday, it all came about without interference from the Catholic Church.
But in Mexico City, where gay marriage was approved on December 21, 2009, a rag-tag alliance of Catholics and homophobic evangelicals are seeking to overturn the new law.
Mexican gays celebrate the passing of the new law last December
The challenge has been mounted by the Contraternice group of Evangelical churches and the College of Catholic Lawyers. Their objection is based on “Christian principles”, say the alliance. They also believe the new law that “allows marriage between people of the same sex and the possibility to adopt” was unconstitutional, according to this report.
They now want to Supreme Court to weigh up legal issues, including possible violations of the Constitution and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Mexico City law changes the meaning of marriage from “a free union between a man and a woman” to “a free union between two people.” It wass the first such law passed in Latin America.
The Mexican capital authorised civil unions for homosexuals in November 2006 and decriminalised abortion in April 2007, contrasting with mostly conservative policies across the largely Catholic nation.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
January 9th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Every time I read a story like this, I have the same reaction: Why on Earth is the Catholic Church so opposed to homosexuality, when they are arguably the largest employer of gay men in the entire world?
My other reaction is: “maked?”
January 9th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Homophobia is NOT a “christian principle”
January 9th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
Christian principles, [oxymoron of the day surely] those must be the hatred, hypocrisy, phobias, bigotry and interference in peoples lives type principles then. Those religious twats are never happier unless they are making other peoples lives a misery.
January 9th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
angelo, i think you’ll find homophobia is indeed a christian principle, albeit one not all christians stick to.
January 9th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
As an ex-catholic, I think personally that the catholic church and all these bigotted frustrated old dead wood in the Vatican who live in their ivory tower have become so irrelevant that when they have a chance to make a splash on the front pages to let everyone know that they are still around and to make themselves appear relevant, they jump at the chance but……it always has to be with sex!!! World hunger, climate change, unemployment, terrorism, etc. to them is all secondary and not as important as what 2 men do in the privacy of their bedroom. Why are they so concerned with sex??? Our greatest prime-minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau once said that the state had no business in the bedrooms of the nation and may I add that neither does any bloody church let alone one that is staffed by so many gay men.
January 10th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Hateful bigots.