Archive Version of
Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Couples Online from 1995-2022 Demian and Steve Bryant originally founded Partners as a monthly newsletter in 1986. By late 1990 it was reformatted into a bi-monthly magazine. Print publication was halted by 1995 when Demian published Partners as a Web site, which greatly expanded readership. In 1988, the Partners National Survey of Lesbian & Gay Couples report was published; the first major U.S. survey on same-sex couples in a decade. In 1996, Demian produced The Right to Marry, a video documentary based on the dire need for equality that was made clear by the data from the survey mentioned above. The video featured interviews with Rev. Mel White, Evan Wolfson, Phyllis Burke, Richard Mohr, Kevin Cathcart, Faygele benMiriam, Benjamin Cable-McCarthy, Susan Reardon, Frances Fuchs, Tina Podlodowski, and Chelle Mileur. Demian has been the sole operator during the last two decades of Partners. Demian stopped work on Partners Task Force in order to realize his other time-consuming projects, which include publishing the book “Operating Manual for Same-Sex Couples: Navigating the rules, rites & rights” - which is now available on Amazon. The book is based on the Partners Survey mentioned above, his interviews of scores of couples, and 36 years of writing hundreds of articles about same-sex couples. It’s also been informed by his personal experience in a 20-year, same-sex relationship. Demian’s other project is to publish his “Photo Stories by Demian” books based on his more than six decades as a photographer and writer. |
On December 22, 2009, Mexico City passed the Marriage Equality Act. It became the 9th government in the world to offer legal marriage. The law became effective on March 4, 2010.
Mexico City’s pro-marriage law was the result of 30 years of gay and lesbian activism.
Mexico City has had domestic partner registration since March 2007. Mexico City legislator David Razú proposed enhancing civil marriage law to include same-sex couples. On December 22, 2009, the city’s legislative assembly approved — 39-20 with 5 abstentions — revisions to the civil code to permit same-sex marriages. In a separate motion, the assembly voted — 31-24 with 9 abstentions — in favor of legalizing adoption by same-sex couples. Immediate opposition came from the Mexico City Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera who falsely claimed: “Today the family is under attack in its essence by the equivalence of homosexual unions with marriage between a man and a woman.” Roman Catholic groups asked the conservative federal government to intervene. Also offering no proof to make such claims was Mariana Gómez del Campo, the Mexico City leader of the president’s National Action Party (PAN). “The same word cannot have two different meanings. It will weaken the legal definition of marriage.” Expanding civil rights does not weaken anything. It broadens and enhances those rights for more people. The complaints appear to be whining about loosing their perceived privilege status. Mexico President Felipe Calderón said the Constitution defined marriage as between a man and a woman, although legal experts disagree. His attorney general filed a challenge before the Supreme Court, arguing that the law violates a constitutional clause “protecting” the family. “Politically, the federal government is declaring that the Constitution only protects heterosexual families,” said David Razú, the city legislator who proposed the new law. “It’s a government that discriminates against its own citizens.” The federal government says that Mexico City’s 2007 civil unions law gives same-sex couples the rights they have been seeking. But in practice — when it comes to including a partner in public health insurance plans, applying for state bank loans or recognizing a parent — the law has not worked, said Judith Vázquez, a gay rights activist. Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) lawmaker Victor Romo stated, “For centuries, unjust laws prohibited marriage between whites and blacks or Europeans and (indigenous) Indians. Today all those barriers have come down.”
In the meantime, the city is not waiting for a Supreme Court ruling, which could take as long as a year. Once they marry, same-sex spouses will also be able to adopt as a couple in Mexico City.
License:
Divorce:
To obtain a divorce, you must be a Mexican resident. Usually this process takes several months and you must reside in the cuntry for at least 6 months before applying for the divorce. You may wish to retain an attorney in Mexico with experience in divorce proceedings.
Sample Rights
In the Event of a Couple Parting Mexico divorces require a 6-month residency. If you live in an U.S. state that does not honor your marriage — which may not be determined until requesting something usually triggered by a marriage license — that state’s courts will also be unlikely to grant you a divorce.
The ability to divorce is critical. Besides the emotional reasons to dissolve a no longer functioning union, there are legal entanglements to consider. For instance, should one of the partners form a new relationship, they would not be able to sign up their new partner for workplace benefits. Most employers require an affidavit that stipulates that the partners are not married to anyone else, or have another domestic partner.
Mexican Tourism Board |
© 2018, Demian None of the pages on this Web site may be reproduced by any form of reproduction without permission from Partners, with the exception of copies for personal, student, and non-commercial use. Please do not copy this article to any Web site. Links to this page are welcome. |