unrepentant old hippie

!Arriba Arriba!

Sometimes progressive attitudes break through in the places you'd least expect. Yesterday, Mexico City had its first same-sex marriage (although there it's called "civil union"). Mexico is a conservative catholic nation, but things in Mexico City are changing:

"With a majority in the municipal assembly and control of the mayor's post, leftists in Mexico City are briskly passing laws liberalizing gay rights, abortion and euthanasia.

The civil unions don't give all the same rights as marriage, but in such an intensely religious country they're a step in the right direction. Not surprisingly, the church is less than pleased:

Catholic Church officials have called the moves "Hitlerian" and warned believers not to vote for the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution.

'A Catholic who votes for one of these (politicians) has a huge lack of values,' said Hugo Valdemar, spokesman for the Mexico City archdiocese, the world's largest."

Mexico is the second hard-core catholic country to move in a more liberal direction regarding the issues of gay marriage and abortion (Portugal just legalized abortion). It's interesting that while these traditionally poor, old-fashioned countries are moving forward, the world's weathiest, most tech-savvy nation seems to be trying its damnedest to move backwards; not only regarding SS marriage and abortion, but with attempts to teach creationism in schools and global warming denial. Hmm.

Oh well, in Mexico this weekend several happy couples who probably never thought they'd be married are honeymooning. So !Congratulacion! senors y senoras.