Same-sex marriage in Oaxaca

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Oaxaca since 5 October 2019. A landmark 2012 Supreme Court order for Oaxaca established the right to marriage by amparo across Mexico. In August 2019, the Congress of Oaxaca passed legislation amending various articles of the Civil Code to recognise same-sex marriages. The law went into force on 5 October. Previously, same-sex couples could marry in the state from August 2018 but required additional red tape compared to opposite-sex partners.

Legal history

2012 Supreme Court case and further legal challenges

See also: Same-sex marriage in Mexico § México Igualitario Project

In August 2011, three same-sex couples, four women and two men, applied to marry in Oaxaca City but were rejected by city officials.^[1] They sought an amparo, but it was denied on 31 January. The couples appealed the judgment to the Collegiate Courts in Civil and Administrative Matters for Oaxaca.^[1] On 9 April 2012, one of the lesbian couples was granted permission by a judge to marry, thus becoming the first approval for same-sex marriage in the state. The case was appealed. On 5 December 2012, the three couples won their appeal from the Mexican Supreme Court,^[1] but local officials refused to perform the marriages. The case returned to the Supreme Court and an additional ruling in favor of the couples was issued. The first lesbian couple received authorization to marry from the civil registry on 25 February 2013.^[1] They were the first same-sex couple to marry in Oaxaca, on 22 March 2013.^[1][2] The male couple received notice of their authorization on 3 June 2013,^[1] and the third couple two days later.^[3]

On 26 August 2012, a Mexican federal judge ordered the state of Oaxaca to perform same-sex marriages based on the Constitution of Mexico which bans discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. This ruling and two others were reviewed by the Mexican Supreme Court, which issued unanimous rulings on 5 December 2012, overturning the ban on same-sex marriage in three individual cases.^[4] To establish precedent, however, five individual cases must be decided this way.^[5] The 2012 Oaxaca case was pivotal in opening the door to legal same-sex marriage in every state in Mexico through the recurso de amparo remedy. Using international decisions, including Atala Riffo and Daughters v. Chile,^[6] the U.S. cases of Loving v. Virginia and Brown v. Board of Education,^[7] and Mexico's own anti-discrimination laws, the Supreme Court ruled on 5 December 2012 that laws limiting marriage to one man and one woman, or for the purposes of perpetuating the species, violate federal law requiring that they "correspond to all persons without any distinction", and that such laws are unconstitutional on the basis of discrimination by sexual orientation and usurpation of the right, not only of the individual but also the couple's right, to form a family.^[8] The court based its ruling on Articles 1 and 4 of the Constitution of Mexico. Article 1 of the Constitution states that "any form of discrimination, based on ethnic or national origin, gender, age, disabilities, social status, medical conditions, religion, opinions, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other form, which violates the human dignity or seeks to annul or diminish the rights and freedoms of the people, is prohibited.", and Article 4 relates to matrimonial equality, stating that "man and woman are equal under the law. The law shall protect the organization and development of the family."^[a] Barring legislative will to change state laws, a provision of Mexican law allows that five rulings in a state with the same outcome on the same issue override a statute and establish the legal jurisprudence to overturn it.^[9] Thus, marriages obtained by amparo can be performed in any state, regardless of whether the state civil code has been changed.^[10]

On 23 April 2014, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled on another amparo, granting 39 same-sex couples the right to marry.^[11] A couple from San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec won an amparo for same-sex marriage in 2016.^[12] In July 2017, a same-sex couple from Oaxaca City was successful in getting married without receiving an amparo.^[13] The first same-sex marriage in Santiago Jamiltepec took place in April 2018,^[14] and Salina Cruz's first same-sex marriage was performed for a lesbian couple the following month.^[15] Both marriages were performed after the couples had successfully requested an amparo in court.

Administrative process

On 26 August 2018, the Oaxaca civil registry began allowing same-sex couples to marry without the need of their first obtaining an amparo. However, the process took three business days compared to two hours for opposite-sex couples.^{[16][17][18][19]} Lawyer Daniel Merlin Tolentino explained that the difference of waiting time between heterosexual and same-sex couples was to "ensure the marriage would comply with jurisprudence". The civil registry would "carefully" consider and analyse each marriage request from same-sex couples to ensure its legitimacy, as state law at the time still banned same-sex marriages. To marry, a couple must present valid documents, including a marriage request, both spouses' birth certificates and official documents and the results of a premarital medical test, as well as have at least 4 witnesses present. The cost was identical to heterosexual couples.

Legislative action

On 28 August 2019, the Congress of Oaxaca passed a bill in a 25–10 vote to make the definition of marriage and concubinage in the Civil Code gender-neutral.^[20][21][22] The legislation was signed by Governor Alejandro Murat Hinojosa on 29 August, published in the official state journal on 5 October 2019 and came into effect that same day.^[23] Article 143 of the Civil Code was amended to read:

• in Spanish: El matrimonio es un contrato civil celebrado entre dos personas, que se unen para realizar una vida en común y proporcionarse respeto, igualdad y ayuda mutua.
• (Marriage is a civil contract between two people, who unite to establish a community of life and to provide each other with respect, equality and mutual aid.)

Political party	Members	Yes	No	Abstain	Absent
National Regeneration Movement	26	17	3	4	2
Institutional Revolutionary Party	6	4	2
Labor Party	3	3
Ecologist Green Party	2		2
Mujeres Independientes	2	1			1
Social Encounter Party	2		2
National Action Party	1		1
Total	42	25	10	4	3

Marriage statistics

The civil registry of Oaxaca announced in October 2022 that 24 same-sex marriages had been performed in the state in 2021.^[24]

Public opinion

A 2017 opinion poll conducted by Gabinete de Comunicación Estratégica found that 43% of Oaxaca residents supported same-sex marriage, while 55% were opposed.^[25]

According to a 2018 survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, 52% of the Oaxaca public opposed same-sex marriage.^[26]

A 2020 survey conducted by the Center for Social Studies and Public Opinion (CESOP) on 1,400 respondents showed that 62% of Oaxacans were opposed to same-sex marriage, while 37% supported and the remaining 1% were undecided. Levels of support varied greatly with age; it was highest among 18–24-year-olds at 61% and 25–34-year-olds at 50%, while among those aged 55 and above 78% were opposed. Attitudes also varied among districts; with support highest in the 8th electoral district (which includes the state capital, Oaxaca City) at 59%, followed by the 6th electoral district (located in the western part of the state, containing municipalities from the Mixteca and Sierra Sur regions) at 58%. Opposition reached 90% in the 5th and 7th electoral districts in the eastern part of the state (containing the entirety of the Istmo Region). Women were also more likely to support same-sex marriage than men.^[27]

See also

•  LGBT portal
•  Mexico portal

• Same-sex marriage in Mexico
• LGBT rights in Mexico

Notes

1. In Spanish: El varón y la mujer son iguales ante la ley. Esta protegerá la organización y el desarrollo de la familia.
   In Mixtec: Ndihi ñivi iyo cha cuiti cha cua cachi ñi cha cua savaha cha vaha chi ñi chi iqui cuñu ñi, ta cha vaha iyo chi cha cua cuu chi.
   In Zapotec: Casi na gui'chi' bia' ro' ri' la?, guirá' gunaa ne nguiu napa xi guizaca' biaca biaca. Ne laaca laani nga gusiroobani, ne gutagulisaani xquenda biaani binni ti guibani ca jneza.
   In Mazatec: Jè xi̱ta̱ 'xi̱n ko̱ jè chjo̱ón ta ngásón chjí la̱ ra a̱'ta 'tse̱ kjoa̱téxoma. Jè kjoa̱téxoma si̱ikonda̱ ní nga mi ki mé katama la̱ koni 'sín nga si̱íxájtín ko̱ nga ma katamiìjin ra jngo ni'ya xi̱ta̱.
   In Chinantec: Jo̱ røøbˋ cǿøngˋ jaléngꞌˋ dseamɨ́ˋ jo̱guɨ dseañʉꞌˋ fɨˊ quiniˇ jaleꞌ júuˆ quiʉꞌˊ ta˜. Jo̱ e júuˆ e lɨ́ˋ la, íingˆ ta˜ e laco̱ꞌ nilɨseengˋ dseaˋ sɨnʉʉˆ quiáꞌrˉ jo̱guɨ cajo̱ e laco̱ɨ niguiárˉ guiʉ̱́ˉ jial nilɨseiiñˋ colɨɨng˜.
   In Mixe: A ëda ley je'e nëwa'an guwa'anaamp jadu'un ja tu' jëën tu' tëjkpë ajxy oy jyak'yeegët.
   In Zoque: Amkimkuy maka kiotsøwe te' pøt y te' yomo jutse maka iri mi towojindam.
   In Chatino: Tsaña'an yu qui'yu lo'o ne' cuna'an su'hua ña'an ntsu'hui lyoo can' tloo lee, lo' cui' na culaa na 'in lo'o ña'an tyi'in a cunta lo'o tyi'o nde loo se'en ndi'in la na'an 'in.
   In Trique: Síi ngà siyànà ni̱ gu̱ña̱n huin nguèj sij riñan ley. Ni̱ ley huin sa du̱gumîn dàj ga̱ hue'ê ga̱ne nej dùguì' nej guiì màn 'ngo̱ hue'e.
   In Huave: Aaga naxey makiiüb najtaj noik miün nejiw ajlüyiw teombas nembeat poch. Aag agüy apmajiür mesapüy at majüyiw najneajay teat, müm makiiüb nakualaran.
   In Cuicatec: Chiⁿ caca yicadi ne ä dama nuⁿ yina d'ätä nducu sa'aⁿ. Caca c'u ne cane chiⁿ nd'ätä iy'aⁿ nimmacu nducu daya yaⁿ.

References

1. "Matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo. Caso Oaxaca". from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
2. ""Oaxaca celebra su primera boda gay tras fallo de SCJN", Terra, 28 March 2013". from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
3. "Suprema Corte avala segundo matrimonio gay en Oaxaca". 5 June 2013. from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
4. "Mexico Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Marriage Equality". ThinkProgress. 5 December 2012. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
5. . The Washington Post. 7 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
6. "Mexican Supreme Court rules for marriage equality". 6 December 2012. from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
7. "Mexican Supreme Court: American Cases Demand Marriage Equality". BuzzFeed. from the original on 27 November 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
8. (in Spanish) DECRETO NÚMERO 345 POR EL QUE SE APROBÓ EL CÓDIGO CIVIL PARA EL ESTADO DE OAXACA, ARTÍCULO 143. DETERMINAR LA INTERPRETACIÓN DE LOS ARTÍCULOS 1 Y 4 EN CONJUNCIÓN CON EL ARTÍCULO 121, 124 Y 133, CONSTITUCIONALES TODOS LOS ÁMBITOS DE PODER POLÍTICO ESTÁN OBLIGADOS NO SÓLO A NO DISCRIMINAR A LAS PERSONAS POR SU ORIENTACIÓN SEXUAL E IDENTIDAD DE GÉNERO, SINO A PROTEGER LA EXPRESIÓN DE SU IDENTIDAD LO QUE IMPLICAN PROTECCIONES LABORALES, EDUCATIVAS, DE SALUD, PROTEGER SUS RELACIONES FAMILIARES, PROHIBIR LA DISCRIMINACIÓN A NIÑOS LGBTI O MIEMBROS DE FAMILIAS DIVERSAS Y MUCHAS OTRAS MÁS. 3 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine
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10. (in Spanish) Legal el matrimonios de personas del mismo sexo 3 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine
11. "La SCJN declara inconstitucional prohibición del matrimonio gay en Oaxaca" (in Spanish). CNN México. 24 April 2014. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
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15. (in Spanish) Realizan primera boda legal entre mujeres en Salina Cruz 30 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine
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19. "Por primera vez, en Oaxaca permitirán celebración de matrimonios gay". lasillarota.com (in Mexican Spanish). from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
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21. "Congreso de Oaxaca aprueba el matrimonio igualitario". from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
22. "Oaxaca Congress approves same-sex marriage by 25-10". 29 August 2019. from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
23. "Decreto por el que se adiciona el tercer párrafo al artículo 39, el párrafo segundo del artículo136; la fracción III al artículo 137, 137 Bis, 137 Ter, 137 Quáter; se reforma el primer párrafo al artículo 143, el primer párrafo del artículo 143 Bis, primera fracción del artículo143 Quáter, segundo párrafo del artículo 166, los artículos 171, 176, 212, 214, 228, 229,501, 744 y 1538; todos del Código Civil para el Estado de Oaxaca" (PDF). congresooaxaca.gob.mx (in Spanish). (PDF) from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
24. Altamirano Díaz, Nadia (2 October 2022). . NVI Noticias (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2 October 2022.
25. (in Spanish) Encuesta nacional 2017 19 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Gabinete de Comunicación Estratégica
26. (in Spanish) #Data | ¿Quién está en contra del matrimonio gay? 16 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine
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