In Catholic Latin America, Same-Sex Marriage and Gay Rights Lead the Way
Models kiss the hands of a man dressed in drag as they display wedding dresses and suits during a same-sex wedding dress fashion show in Buenos Aires, November 17, 2011. Argentine designers and wedding planners organized what they claim is the first gay wedding dress fashion show in the world after recent boom in same-sex nuptials since gay marriage was legalized last year in Argentina. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci (ARGENTINA – Tags: FASHION SOCIETY) – RTR2U5WF
As the federal Defense of Marriage Act took center stage at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, justices heard arguments about whether the law discriminates against same sex married couples by denying those couples certain federal benefits.
The American debate over same sex marriage resonates loudly in many countries around the globe.
We have reported on views on this issue from France, Russia and South Africa.
We now turn our focus to Latin America.
Same sex marriage is legal in Argentina, and in parts of Brazil and Mexico.
Lester Feder is a freelance journalist who’s written about the changing landscape of gay rights in Latin America.
He’s a journalism fellow with the Alicia Patterson Foundation and is currently conducting research on how gay marriage is changing the globe.
He says in spite of Latin American being predominantly Catholic, many countries there have been leading the way when it comes to gay rights and same-sex marriage.