Mexico City celebrated its 1000th gay marriage with some Dutch flavour. On Sunday, 29-year-old Dutchman Tjarda Wessels married 37-year-old Mexican Jose Aguilar Gómez, a Latin American Studies teacher at the University of Leiden.

“This is a historic step against homophobia in our country,” Gómez told Mexican media. The marriage was consecrated on the 41st floor of the Torre Latinoamericana, Latin America's first skyscraper. 

Gómez stressed that being a gay man in the capital city is not easy. “My intimate life has led to conflicts with my parents, on the street and at work. In Mexico, men and women are victims of violence because of their sexual orientation. Their family often wants nothing to do with them, they are beaten and sometimes murdered.”

Gay marriage was legalised in Mexico City in March 2010. The federal government had sought a ban from the country’s Supreme Court, but a judge ruled in August 2010 that gay marriage is not in conflict with Mexico’s constitution.

(lo)

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