Mexico City Recognizes Gay Civil Unions

Mexico City's assembly on Thursday voted for the first time in the country's history to legally recognize gay civil unions, a measure that will provide gay couples with numerous social benefits as well as requiring them to fulfill responsibilities similar to those of married couples.

Mexico City Mayor Alejandro Encinas was expected to sign the measure into law.

A similar bill was submitted to Mexico City's Assembly five years ago but never gained enough votes, reported the Mexican daily El Universal.

The bill, which does not approve gay marriage, per se, will grant gay couples inheritance and pension rights, among other social benefits. Lawmakers were still hammering out the particulars of the measure Thursday afternoon.

The legislature approved the measure 43-17, with five abstentions, with all of the opponents from the conservative National Action Party of President Vicente Fox and President-elect Felipe Calderon. The party is known for its opposition to abortion and its support for "traditional" families.

The law, which has been severely criticized by the Catholic Church and conservative civil groups, allows gay couples to voluntarily register their union with civil authorities. Heterosexual couples who are not already legally married can also be registered under the new law.

Roughly 20 percent of the Mexican population has had same-sex relations, according to polls cited by El Universal. And 94 percent of Mexican homosexuals have experienced discrimination, according to polls cited by El Universal.

Mexico City is a federal district with its own legislature, and the law will apply only to residents of the capital, with a population of 8.7 million. This is the first time any state legislature has approved such a law anywhere in Mexico.