Alex Freyre and partner Jose Maria Di Bello, Latin Photograph: Marcos Brindicci
Alex Freyre and partner Jose Maria Di Bello will become the first same-sex couple to be married in Latin America, tomorrow. Their wedding will be hailed as a triumph for love and the culmination of three years of fighting for equality. Their quest for marriage equality ended when a city court judge ruled that it was unconstitutional for civil law to stipulate that a marriage can exist only between a man and a woman. The two were granted a marriage license on November 16 and their official ceremony will be held tomorrow. Despite strong opposition from the dominant Catholic Church and fellow countrymen, the marriage will go ahead as planned.
"This marriage is bigger than José María and I," Freyre told the Observer. "It is a victory for all who face prejudice and discrimination across Latin America and the Caribbean. It is proof that at last the grip of the Catholic church is slipping across Latin America, the system that has kept gay communities silent and fearful is crumbling. What is happening on Tuesday is a strike against those attitudes that have repressed sexual rights across this continent for too long."
Congratulations to the lucky couple!
[Guardian] VIA [TR]
