BUENOS AIRES, Argentina. It was decades of struggle and more than 15 hours of debate in the Senate, with a packed plaza in front of Congress that celebrated that morning with applause, shouts, and hugs. On July 15, 2010, Argentina passed Law 26.618, known as the Equal Marriage Law.

After more than 15 hours of debate in the Senate, with the plaza in front of the National Congress packed, the 33 votes in favor prevailed over the 27 against and 3 abstentions. Thus, Argentina became the first country in Latin America to have this law.

In the early 1990s, activist Carlos Jáuregui, from the Gays for Civil Rights Association, sought to activate a civil marriage bill, but it did not succeed.

Twelve years later, in 2002, the Buenos Aires City Legislature approved a Civil Union Argentine Homosexual Community (CHA)

In 2009, Representatives Vilma Ibarra (Popular and Social Encounter) and Silvia Augsburguer (Socialist Party) introduced a bill for Equal Marriage, developed in collaboration with activists and LGBTQ+ organizations. It received preliminary approval in the Chamber of Deputies on May 5th.

We were able to build consensus to pass a law that redressed injustices and recognized the rights of people who had been historically denied them.
We made Argentina a freer, fairer, and more equal country.
Happy 10th anniversary! #10YearsOfEqualMarriage pic.twitter.com/zIFzn29p2z

— Vilma Ibarra (@VilmaIbarraL) July 15, 2020

The Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgender People (FALGBT) was one of the organizations involved in creating that bill. While it was awaiting Senate approval, in November 2009, Judge Gabriela Seijas of Buenos Aires declared unconstitutional the articles of the Civil Code that prohibited same-sex marriage.

On December 1, FALGBT activists Alex Freyre and José María Di Bello attempted to get married, but an order from Judge Marta Gómez Alsina prevented it.

Finally, on December 28, they married in Tierra del Fuego, thus becoming the first same-sex couple to get married in Latin America and the Caribbean.

1. First gay marriages

In December, an event was held at the Paco Urondo Cultural Center to commemorate this historical event, celebrate what has been achieved, and reflect on all that remains to be done:

We're already at the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the first same-sex marriage in Latin America, at the Paco Urondo Cultural Center, Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, University of Buenos Aires, with @FabianaRiosPSP @mariarachid @vikidonda @dibello_jose @AlexFreyre @FacuDiFi @francotorchia_ @pcibriancampoy pic.twitter.com/GzsqkPYpQJ

— LGBT+ Ombudsman (@Defensorialgbt) December 27, 2019

On April 15, 2010, Martín Canevaro, an activist with 100% Diversity and Rights , married Carlos Álvarez of the Xangó Group. They were also able to do so thanks to a ruling by the Buenos Aires courts.

2- The first lesbian marriage

In April 2010, the first lesbians to get married were the iconic activists Norma Castillo and Ramona “Cachita” Arévalo, who passed away in 2018:

3 Faggot!

On June 1, 2010, the theater director, playwright and actor Pepito Cibrián Campoy, as part of the voices in favor, read in the Senate debate the text by Federico García Lorca: 'Marica'.

4. The March Against

Catholic and evangelical groups gathered in front of the National Congress with signs demanding "Children have the right to a father and a mother."

Among those present, testimonies such as the following could be heard: “I am not against gay people, far from it, I simply think it is unnatural. How is a child going to understand that their father or mother is named Carlos? It doesn't exist.”

5. The Vigil in front of Congress

It began on the 14th and lasted more than 15 hours until the sanction:

6. “Conscientious objections”«

During the session, senators expressed conflicting viewpoints. When Senator Liliana Negre de Alonso spoke of 'conscientious objection,' Senator Miguel Ángel Pichetto responded: "That's more characteristic of Nazi Germany than a democratic state." 

7. “They are going to take our boys away”

Senator Hilda “Chiche” Duhalde, in her speech, addressed the issue as a “fight between the government and the church.” She considered it a rushed process and questioned, “If it’s about accepting, then let’s accept everything that comes our way.” And while she said that we shouldn’t question a man’s or a woman’s sexual orientation, she warned that with this law, “they would come and take our children away.”

8. But finally: IT BECAME LAW

9. Yes, I want to

The first union took place in the city of Frías, Santiago del Estero. José Luis David Navarro and Miguel Ángel Calefato exchanged their vows on July 30, 2010.

In the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, the first ones were Ernesto Larresse and Alejandro Vannelli:

10. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner enacted it

On July 21, 2010, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, in an event at the Casa Rosada, enacted the Equal Marriage Law.

Then, in 2011, during the opening of the legislative sessions, the re-elected president said: “The Equal Marriage Law gave back rights that Argentinians didn't have. Those who didn't share this view should feel proud, not upset. Did you see that nothing happened? Did you see that no one was forced to marry? That everyone continues to make their own choice freely.”

11. Same-sex marriage in prisons

In December 2020, months after the tenth anniversary of the approval of same-sex marriage, a wedding was performed for the first time in a prison setting.

Camila, 20, married Camila, 27. Both were detained in Pavilion 4 of Unit 46 San Martín of the Buenos Aires Penitentiary Service (SPB). The ceremony took place in the prison courtyard.

The women's decision prompted 62 other couples to seek to formalize their relationship in 2020 alone. The last marriage celebrated this year so far was in April, at Penal Unit 8 in Los Hornos, La Plata.

12. An example for the region and an increasing number of weddings

Argentina's Equal Marriage Law allows non-resident foreigners (tourists) to marry in the country without any problems. This measure was also a novel provision, which is also included in Canadian law.

According to the LGBT Ombudsman, which advises LGBT+ tourists so they can access their right to equal marriage, it received 70 inquiries from foreigners from the end of 2021 to July 2022, after being unable to travel for a year and a half due to the pandemic.

While the approval of this law is being discussed with increasing depth in the Latin America and Caribbean region, in the United States, concern is growing about a setback in this regard.

13. More and more same-sex marriages

Same-sex marriages are becoming increasingly common. In the City of Buenos Aires (CABA), the number of same-sex marriages is growing each year and represents a larger percentage of all registered unions. According to these records, " 426 same-sex marriages were registered in CABA, representing 3.36% of all unions registered in this district. In 2020, that proportion was 6.40%. This means that the participation of same-sex marriages has grown by at least 3 percentage points in the last 8 years, " reports this article from Chequeado , where you can find more data.

In December, Argentina will commemorate 40 years of democracy. As part of this celebration, public television produced this report on marriage equality. We invite you to relive the emotion of the passage of this law that has brought us so much: