Same-sex marriage in Nayarit

Same-sex marriage has been legal in the Mexican state of Nayarit since 23 December 2015. A bill for legalization was approved by the state Congress on 17 December 2015, in a 26-1 vote, with 1 abstention. It was published in the official journal, following the Governor's signature, on 22 December 2015 and took effect the following day.

History

State recognition of same-sex relationships in Mexico.

  Marriage at the state level

  5+ court orders supporting marriage, requiring legalization by the state government

  1–4 court orders supporting individual marriage

Injunctions

In July 2014, a male same-sex couple was allowed to hold Nayarit's first same-sex wedding after a year of legal work.^[1] On 8 July, a federal judge ruled the state's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional.^[2] The couple married in the state's capital of Tepic. Four lesbian couples requested injunctions after being denied marriage licenses by the Civil Registry in early July 2014.^[3] On 31 October 2014, it was announced by the Civil Association CODISE that nine couples were awaiting decisions on injunctions.^[4] On 3 November 2014 a lesbian couple married in Tepic, the second same-sex marriage in the state, after being granted an injunction.^[5] On 13 November 2014, the third same-sex marriage was held in Tepic for a lesbian couple who gained an amparo on 22 October 2014.^[6] The 4th same-sex marriage in Nayarit took place in the second week of December 2014, marking it the third lesbian union in the state.^[7] On 27 January 2015, the 5th same-sex marriage occurred in Tepic between two women. It was the first marriage in which the injunction had been approved by local authorities, rather than the federal district courts.^[8][9]

Legislative action

On 13 March 2015, members of CODISE handed Congress a bill to legalise same-sex marriage.^[10]

On 25 June 2015, Deputy Luis Manuel Hernández Escobedo, from the Party of the Democratic Revolution, introduced a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry and making the definition of concubinage gender-neutral.^[11] On 17 December 2015, Congress approved the bill, in a 26-1 vote, with 1 abstention.^[12][13] The bill was published in the official journal, following the Governor Roberto Sandoval Castañeda's signature, on 22 December 2015, and took effect the following day.^[14]

Article 135 of the Nayarit Civil Code now reads as follows:

• in Spanish: El matrimonio es un contrato civil, por el cual dos personas, se unen en sociedad para realizar vida en común, procurando entre ambos respeto, igualdad y ayuda mutua.

Article 136 now reads as follows:

• in Spanish: El concubinato es la unión de hecho entre dos personas, que realizan en forma continua, pública e ininterrumpida una vida en común de manera notoria y permanente, sin que medie vínculo matrimonial entre sí, o con terceras personas.

Political party[15]	Members	Yes	No	Abstain	Absent
Institutional Revolutionary Party	15	14			1
National Action Party	6	4		1	1
Party of the Democratic Revolution	5	5
Labor Party	2	2
Ecologist Green Party	2	1	1
Total	30	26	1	1	2

Adoption

The same-sex marriage legislation which took effect in December 2015 does not address same-sex adoptions.^[11]

In October 2016, a federal judge ruled that the daughter of a married lesbian couple must be registered with the surnames of both her mothers. The judge argued that denying the application for registration of the newborn violates the interests of the child and violates the right to identity (i.e. name, nationality and affiliation).^[16] A few days later, the head of the Civil Registry announced that the state will continue refusing to register both surnames of same-sex parents unless Congress changes the law or if more amparos are granted by the courts.^[17]

References

1. "Se consumó en Tepic matrimonio gay que había quedado pendiente". Periodico Avance. 1 July 2014.
2. "Tribunales confirman validez del matrimonio gay en Nayarit". El Economista. 8 July 2014.
3. "4 parejas de mujeres solicitan casarse en Tepic". nayaritenlinea.mx.
4. "Nueve parejas gay buscan casarse en Nayarit". nayaritenlinea.mx.
5. "El Universal - Los Estados - Legalizan matrimonio de dos mujeres en Nayarit". El Universal. 27 July 2015.
6. "Segunda boda entre mujeres en Nayarit". La Jornada.
7. "Realidades de Nayarit _". periodicorealidadesmx.com.
8. Administrator. "Celebra Registro Civil Matrimonio Monoparental Entre Mujeres". elpulsodenayarit.com.
9. Se Formalizó Matrimonio De Personas del Mismo Sexo
10. Adán Rentería. "Comunidad gay entrega iniciativa al Congreso". Periódico Enfoque Nayarit. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015.
11. Iniciativa con proyecto de decreto, que reforma diversas disposiciones del Código Civil para el Estado de Nayarit, para reconocer el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo
12. "Aprueba el Congreso de Nayarit los matrimonios gay" (in Spanish). La Jornada. December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
13. Fourth Mexico state legalizes gay marriage
14. "Periodico Oficial, Organo Del Gobierno Del Estado De Nayarit" (PDF). 22 December 2015.
15. RESULTADOS TOTALES DE VOTACION
16. (Spanish) Hija de matrimonio igualitario deberá ser registrada con apellido de sus dos madres
17. (Spanish) Naya Vidal: Parejas igualitarias sólo pueden registrar hijos con amparo