Gay Marriage at the Ends of the Earth

by Michael Jones · 2009-12-29 08:53:00 UTC
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Tierra Del FuegoTypically people who oppose gay marriage say that it's a sign of the end of the Earth. But yesterday in Tierra Del Fuego -- literally the southernmost point you can go in South America before falling into the arctic waters -- gay marriage history was made, with the first same-sex marriage in Latin America. Call it gay marriage at the ends of the earth. Or just call it a really cool way to end the year.

The couple, Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre, had previously tried to marry in Buenos Aires earlier this year. Plans were set, and international eyes were on Buenos Aires, but a judge placed a stop on the wedding, forcing Di Bello and Freyre to head to Tierra Del Fuego. Not so good for Buenos Aires, but pretty darn cool for Di Bello and Freyre, not to mention Tierra Del Fuego, which might just become the coolest place to travel in South America (come for the history-making gay marriage, stay for the Magellanic sub polar forests...).

For the couple, the ceremony capped off a whirlwind month where they were told they could marry, then told the couldn't married, then decided to travel several hundred miles to the south to get their relationship officially recognized.

"My knees didn't stop shaking," Di Bello said after the wedding. "We are the first gay couple in Latin America to marry."

That's quite a title to bear. But one that Di Bello and Freyre deserve, after years of gay rights activism in Argentina. Same-sex marriage in Argentina is only likely to get more complicated after Tuesday's wedding. The country's constitution doesn't say anything about same-sex marriage, leaving the decision of whether same-sex marriages can happen up to the provincial authorities. That explains why Buenos Aires can say a big "NO" to same-sex marriage, and Tierra Del Fuego can say a thunderous "YES."

Tierra Del Fuego is also ahead of the political and social curve in one other aspect -- it's the only province in the country with a female governor. And for her part, Gov. Fabiana Ríos says that the marriage between Di Bello and Freyre is an amazing development for Argentina and for all of Latin America.

"[Gay marriage] is an important advance in human rights and social inclusion and we are very happy that this has happened in our state," Ríos said in a statement.

What a way to close out 2009 -- already in December we've seen Washington, D.C. and Mexico City move forward with efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. And now a province in Argentina becomes the first in all of Latin America to witness a marriage between two people of the same gender. That's history, and the perfect cap to 2009, otherwise known as the year of gay marriage.

(Photo courtesy of www.travelpatagonia.info)

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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