Gay Couples Allowed to Marry at Mexican Resorts

Same-sex couples who are planning a trip to Cancun and other hot spots to the Mexican Caribbean will not only be able to soak up the sun but also have the opportunity to get legally married, reported Hispanically Speaking News in a Dec 29 article.

Thanks to a loophole in the civil code, vacationers from the U.S., Canada and Europe can legalize their unions.

"This market niche ... is very attractive for European, Canadian and American [homosexual] couples," said Patricia Novelo, a spokeswoman for Colectivo Diversidad, a LGBT organization.

Novelo also said that the first same-sex group wedding will take place in January and the event will also help promote human rights for the LGBT community. There are eight couples that will be married in January she said. Most of them are Mexican but she expects more couples from other countries to get married in these lucky destinations soon.

Quintana Roo, which includes Cancun, has not passed a law that legalizes same-sex marriages but because of a gap in the state's Civil Code that does not specify the gender of individuals getting married, same-sex unions are legal.

Quintana Roo is located in Southeastern Mexico, and is bordered by the states of Yucatan and Campeche.

The marriages will help also boost the economy for Quintana Roo as well.

"[This] is something very positive," Novelo says. "Besides the social part there are many economic benefits because the gay community generates between 45 and 60 percent more income on top of conventional tourism."

LGBT rights in Mexico have made progress in the past few years. In 2003, a federal anti-discrimination law was passed and Amaranta Gomez became the first transgender woman to run for a seat in the Federal Congress.

In 2006, Mexico City legalized same-sex civil unions as did Coahuila the following year.

Transgender people were allowed to legally change their name, thanks to a law passed in 2008. Then, in 2009, Mexico City passed a legislation that legalized same-sex marriages and allowed gay couples to adopt.