Mexico: Sinaloa's Congress Approves Equal Marriage

On Tuesday, the Sinaloa Congress approved reforms to the local Family Code that allow equal marriage and cohabitation in this Mexican state.

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"The happiness of... each one of the citizens consists of freedom, security, and equality... There should be no second category citizens", said leftist lawmaker Francisca Abello, the president of the Equity Commission, Gender, and Family.

While the reforms were approved with 23 votes in favor, 17 lawmakers chose to abstain from voting but said they would abide by the final result.

Sinaloa Governor Quirino Ordaz will have 60 days to officially enact the changes that ratify the rights of people with diverse gender orientations.

In 2015, Mexico's Supreme Court (SJCN) declared that state civil codes contrary to egalitarian marriage are unconstitutional. However, a third of Mexico's subnational governments are still reluctant to reform their law.

In fact, the Sinaloa Diversity Committee attempted to achieve these reforms over the last seven years in which it presented four judicial actions and seven bills to three different legislatures.

"There are conquests that are built step by step. Our conviction has always been to respect and enforce the Constitution. Today we are celebrating," said Graciela Dominguez, who was a lawmaker when the equal marriage bill was voted for the first time in the Sinaloa Congress and was not approved