Argentina Makes Gay Marriage Official

As of Wednesday, we can add Argentina to the list of nations that has beaten the U.S. to the enlightened punch by sanctioning gay marriage. In so doing, Argentina also gets the prize for being the first country in South America to make it legal.  —KA

BBC:

The vote in the Senate, which backed the bill by just six votes, came after 14 hours of at times heated debate.

The law, which also allows same-sex couples to adopt, had met with fierce opposition from the Catholic Church and other religious groups.

The legislation, backed by President Cristina Fernandez’s centre-left government, passed by 33 votes to 27 with three abstentions.

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AP / Natacha Pisarenko

Legalize it: Demonstrators gather outside Argentina’s Congress building during a rally for same-sex marriage in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.