Same-sex marriage in Guanajuato

Part of the LGBTQ rights series
Marriage

Recognized

Civil unions or registered partnerships but not marriage
Minimal recognition
See also
Notes
  1. ^ a b Performed in the Netherlands proper (including the Caribbean Netherlands), as well as in Aruba and Curaçao. May be registered in Sint Maarten in such cases, but the rights of marriage are not guaranteed.
  2. ^ Neither performed nor recognized in Tokelau or the associated states of the Cook Islands and Niue.
  3. ^ Same-sex marriage is also legal in the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey, and the British Overseas Territories of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Same-sex marriage is not performed in six British Overseas Territories: Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
  4. ^ a b Neither performed nor recognized in some tribal nations of the US. Recognized but not performed in several other tribal nations and American Samoa.
  5. ^ Registered foreign marriages confer all marriage rights in Israel. Domestic common-law marriages confer most rights of marriage. Domestic civil marriage recognized by some cities.
  6. ^ a b c d The Coman v. Romania ruling of the European Court of Justice obliges the state to provide residency rights for the foreign spouses of EU citizens. Some member states, including Romania, do not follow the ruling.
  7. ^ A "declaration of family relationship" is available in several of Cambodia's communes which may be useful in matters such as housing, but is not legally binding.
  8. ^ Guardianship agreements confer some limited legal benefits in China, including decisions about medical and personal care.
  9. ^ Hong Kong provides inheritance, guardianship rights, and residency rights for foreign spouses of legal residents.
  10. ^ Indian courts have recognized guru–shishya, nata pratha or maitri karar–type contractual relationships, but they are not legally binding.
  11. ^ In addition to non-binding local partnership certificates, Japanese common-marriage rights are applied nationwide.
  12. ^ Marriages conducted abroad between a Namibian national and a foreign spouse provide residency rights in Namibia.
  13. ^ Several Philippine cities issue or are considering "Right To Care" cards that allow same-sex partners to make medical decisions in case of emergency.
  14. ^ Romania provides hospital visitation rights through a "legal representative" status.
LGBTQ portal

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Guanajuato since 20 December 2021.[1][2] That day, the Secretary General of Government, Libia García Muñoz Ledo, issued an official directive addressed to officials of the state civil registry that, effective immediately, same-sex couples can marry in the state.[3] Guanajuato was the 23rd Mexican state to legalize same-sex marriage. Legislation officially codifying same-sex marriage into state law was passed by the Congress of Guanajuato on 4 December 2025.

Background

The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation ruled on 12 June 2015 that state bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional nationwide. The court's ruling is considered a "jurisprudential thesis" and did not invalidate state laws, meaning that same-sex couples denied the right to marry would still have to seek individual amparos in court. The ruling standardized the procedures for judges and courts throughout Mexico to approve all applications for same-sex marriages and made the approval mandatory. Specifically, the court ruled that bans on same-sex marriage violate Articles 1 and 4 of the Constitution of Mexico. Article 1 of the Constitution states:

Any form of discrimination, based on ethnic or national origin, gender, age, disabilities, social status, medical conditions, religion, opinions, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other form, which violates the human dignity or seeks to annul or diminish the rights and freedoms of the people, is prohibited.[a]

On 2 September 2013, a lesbian couple was denied a marriage license by the civil registry office in León. They challenged the denial in federal court. Attorneys representing the civil registry argued that state law defined marriage as "the union of a man and a woman" and as such the couple could not marry, whereas the couple's attorneys argued that the ban was unconstitutional under the Constitution of Mexico. A judge ruled in favor of the couple on 18 September 2013 and granted them the right to marry.[5] The couple, who remained anonymous, married on 19 March 2014, becoming the first same-sex couple to do so in Guanajuato.[6][7] On 4 March 2014, a local deputy from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) said he would help a group of same-sex couples from León and Silao file amparos in court.[8] An amparo for thirty couples from León was filed two weeks later.[9] A further amparo was filed in Irapuato for several more couples later that year.[10] On 25 November 2014, the First District Court ruled in favor of a same-sex couple who sought to marry. The state did not appeal, and the couple married in January 2015.[11][12] In April 2016, officials from the civil registry said that nine same-sex couples had married in the state by that time.[13] A tenth amparo was granted to a same-sex couple from Salamanca in August 2016.[14] By May 2018, 43 amparos had been granted in the state.[15]

Early bills

On 21 February 2014, the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) introduced a bill to the Congress of Guanajuato to amend the Civil Code to legalize same-sex marriage.[16] The measure was endorsed by the Institutional Revolutionary Party,[17] but on 13 April 2015 the Justice Committee of Congress with a majority from the state's ruling National Action Party (PAN) voted 3–2 to shelve the bill citing PAN's objection to same-sex unions.[18]

On 29 April 2016, the Guanajuato Municipal Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution allowing a lesbian couple to marry in Guanajuato. The council also urged Governor Miguel Márquez Márquez to introduce legislation to legalize same-sex marriage.[19] In October 2018, PRD Deputy Isidoro Bazaldúa Lugo introduced a same-sex marriage bill to Congress.[20] Another bill to legalize same-sex marriage was introduced following the 2021 legislative elections. However, both measures stalled and were not voted on. On 27 October 2022, Deputy David Martínez Mendizábal from the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) introduced a bill to codify same-sex marriage in the Civil Code. Martínez Mendizábal said he introduced the bill because "the legal framework of our [state] remains discriminatory, because it still does not recognize the right to gender identity, equal marriage, and does not prohibit conversion therapies, among others."[21][22]

Directive and passage of legislation in 2025

On 20 December 2021, citing jurisprudence established by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, Libia García Muñoz Ledo, the Secretary General of Government (Secretaría de Gobierno), issued an official directive, "Directive 2261/2021", addressed to all civil registry officials in Guanajuato that, effective immediately, same-sex couples can marry in the state without the further need of their first obtaining a judicial amparo.[23][24] The directive states:[3] "As of this date and thereafter, the right of all people, without discrimination due to their sexual preference, to marry in our Civil Registry offices is recognized." Activist Juan Pablo Delgado, a founding member of the LGBT advocacy group Free León (León Libre), welcomed the measure, saying, "Today Guanajuato joins the list of states that allow equal marriage. While the need to reform local law continues, a huge step is taken in building a society that offers equal conditions for all people. Long live diversity."[25] Guanajuato's reputation as one of the most conservative states in Mexico was also cause for widespread media coverage that followed García Muñoz's announcement.[3] The first same-sex marriage performed under the new directive took place on 10 January 2022 in Irapuato.[26] On 26 January 2022, Governor Diego Sinhué Rodríguez Vallejo issued an executive decree repealing article 72 of the civil registry regulations, which had established as a requisite for marriage that the partners be of the opposite sex. The decree entered into effect that same day.[27] However, the directive technically lapsed upon the end of Rodríguez Vallejo's governorship on 26 September 2024.[28] However, the state government confirmed the following month that since the civil registry regulations were modified same-sex marriage would remain legal in Guanajuato. The Secretary General of Government, Jorge Jiménez Lona, stated that since the regulations were changed "no circular is required, nothing special is required".[29]

On 11 November 2025, the Justice Commission of the Congress of Guanajuato voted 3–2 to pass a bill officially codifying same-sex marriage into state law.[30] Deputy Rolando Alcántar Rojas from the conservative National Action Party supported the measure, and stated that attempts to replace same-sex marriage with civil unions would likely be struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional.[31] A final vote took place on 4 December, when the bill passed 25–9.[32][33] The legislation awaits Governor Muñoz Ledo's signature. Article 144 of the Civil Code now reads: Marriage is the free union of two people, whose purpose is to establish a shared life in which the spouses provide each other with respect, equality, and mutual support.[b]

4 December 2025 vote in the Congress[34]
Party Voted for Voted against Abstained Absent (Did not vote)
  National Action Party
7
  • Jorge Espadas Galván
  • Ana Esquivel Arrona
  • Jesús Hernández Hernández
  • Aldo Márquez Becerra
  • Roberto Terán Ramos
  • José Tovar Vargas
  • Víctor Zanella Huerta
8
  • Rolando Alcántar Rojas
  • Susana Bermúdez Cano
  • José Bermúdez Méndez
  • Karol González Márquez
  • Noemí Márquez Márquez
  • María Ortiz Mantilla
  • Yesenia Rojas Cervantes
  • Juan Romero Hicks
 –
1
  • Angélica Casillas Martínez
  National Regeneration Movement
11
  • Hades Aguilar Castillo
  • Maribel Aguilar González
  • Plásida Calzada Velázquez
  • Antonio Chaurand Sorzano
  • Luis Ferro Baeza
  • María García Oliveros
  • David Martínez Mendizábal
  • Ernesto Millán Soberanes
  • Martha Moreno Valencia
  • Carlos Ramos Sotomayor
  • Miriam Reyes Carmona
 – – –
  Institutional Revolutionary Party
1
  • Alejandro Arias Ávila
1
  • Rocío Cervantes Barba
 –
1
  • Ruth Tiscareño Agoitia
  Citizens' Movement
2
  • Rodrigo González Zaragoza
  • Sandra Pedroza Orozco
 – – –
  Ecologist Green Party of Mexico
2
  • Sergio Contreras Guerrero
  • Luz Mendo González
 – – –
  Labor Party
1
  • Carolina León Medina
 – – –
  Party of the Democratic Revolution
1
  • María Gómez Enríquez
 – – –
Total 25 9 0 2
69.4% 25.0% 0.0% 5.6%

Marriage statistics

The following table shows the number of same-sex marriages performed in Guanajuato since 2021 as reported by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography.[35] In November 2022, the civil registry reported that more than 200 same-sex marriages had been performed in Guanajuato since legalization, with most being performed in León (54), Irapuato (36), and Guanajuato (20). 69% of these marriages were between two women.[36] In total, at least one same-sex marriage had taken place in 30 of the state's 46 municipalities. The 16 municipalities where no same-sex marriage had occurred were Abasolo, Atarjea, Coroneo, Doctor Mora, Ocampo, Pueblo Nuevo, Romita, Salvatierra, San Diego de la Unión, Santa Catarina, Santiago Maravatío, Tarandacuao, Tierra Blanca, Victoria, Xichú, and Yuriria.

Number of marriages performed in Guanajuato
Year Same-sex Opposite-sex Total % same-sex
Female Male Total
2021 16 12 28 28,408 28,436 0.01%
2022 195 77 272 30,880 31,145 0.87%
2023 181 80 261 28,518 28,779 0.91%
2024 187 92 279 28,908 29,187 0.96%

Public opinion

According to a 2018 survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, 39% of the Guanajuato public opposed same-sex marriage.[37]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In some official and indigenous languages of Guanajuato:
    • Spanish: Queda prohibida toda discriminación motivada por origen étnico o nacional, el género, la edad, las discapacidades, la condición social, las condiciones de salud, la religión, las opiniones, las preferencias sexuales, el estado civil o cualquier otra que atente contra la dignidad humana y tenga por objeto anular o menoscabar los derechos y libertades de las personas.
    • Otomi: Hingi tsa da t’utsa ya jä’i num’u ngu ra mengu ka ya hnini hñätho, ne ha ra ñ’oho ua ra m’ehñä, ra jeya gä mets’i, ha nxotho ra jä’i, hä ua hin’ä bojä, ha hingi dathi, ne te ma nijä pa, xa nthäti ua hin’ä ne ha ua ma n’a ngu embi t’uni ra m’ui gä mu’i di thegi di mu’i ra n’yo ya jä’i.[4]
    • Chichimeca Jonaz: Sahar urir sujarme ki urir kabe’ ndi eni e’ir o me kabe’ ndi unhi’ ugi’, iru o me mani, sapha ndi kane ukhar, kabe’ ndi marhe tawe, kabe’ ndi ebeh, uts’a ndi ukhar, kane nabi’ ndi ukhɇ’r, kabe’ Kuri ewa, kabe’ ndi endɇ uwe’ ukhar, sikha itehr o ume kit’a rinhi ndi pa kaneme paja utsab ki ki’i randi ur’u rinhi ndi kini ubo’ ukhar paja ratsab.
  2. ^ Spanish: Matrimonio es la unión libre de dos personas, que tiene como objeto realizar una comunidad de vida, en la que los cónyuges se procuran respeto, igualdad y ayuda mutua.

References

  1. ^ "Aprueban el matrimonio igualitario en Guanajuato". El Universal (in Spanish). 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Another state gives green light to same-sex marriages". Mexico News Daily. 21 December 2021. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Guanajuato, uno de los estados más conservadores, ya legalizó el matrimonio igualitario". infobae (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Ndäthot'i, hñäsümpo̱te xe̲ni hnini ga̱tho m'onda̱" (PDF). INALI. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  5. ^ "Pareja lésbica de Guanajuato obtiene amparo para contraer matrimonio". NotieSe. 19 September 2013. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Primera boda gay en #Guanajuato". Soy Vallense. 19 March 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  7. ^ "Lesbian Couple Marries in Mexican State of Guanajuato". On Top Magazine. 20 March 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  8. ^ "PRI apoyará a 45 parejas gays para que se casen en Guanajuato". SDPnoticias.com. Archived from the original on 2019-03-23. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  9. ^ "Estado – Asi Sucede Guanajuato – Page 55". asisucedegto.mx. Archived from the original on 2014-11-08. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  10. ^ "Promueven amparo para legalizar bodas gay en Guanajuato". Guanajuato Informa. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014.
  11. ^ "Periódico Correo Pareja 'gay' obtiene amparo para casarse". Periódico Correo. Archived from the original on 2019-03-23. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  12. ^ "Impiden a pareja gay casarse en plaza de León; lo hacen en pizzería". Proceso. Archived from the original on 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  13. ^ "En trámite, 13 amparos de parejas gay para casarse". El Sol de León. 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  14. ^ "Celebran primera boda gay de la ciudad de Salamanca". Periódico Correo. 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Pareja logra tercer matrimonio igualitario en Cortazar; van 43 en todo Guanajuato". Archived from the original on 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  16. ^ UNIÓN GUANAJUATO, Redes de Información y Educación del Siglo XXI de EL UNIVERSAL y UNO TV. "PRD propone que Guanajuato permita matrimonios gay". unionguanajuato.mx. Archived from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  17. ^ UNIÓN GUANAJUATO, Redes de Información y Educación del Siglo XXI de EL UNIVERSAL y UNO TV. "PRI se suma a matrimonios gay en Guanajuato". unionguanajuato.mx. Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  18. ^ Carmen Pizano. "Voto panista archiva iniciativas para legalizar el matrimonio gay en Guanajuato". ZonaFrancaMX. Archived from the original on 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  19. ^ "Acuerda ayuntamiento de Guanajuato apoyar a pareja gay para contraer matrimonio". Zona Franca (in Mexican Spanish). 2016-04-29. Archived from the original on 2018-10-28. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  20. ^ "Presentan iniciativa para matrimonio gay". Periódico Correo. 19 October 2018. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  21. ^ Dominguez, Gaby (27 October 2022). "Presenta David Martínez iniciativa para avanzar en matrimonio igualitario". Platino News (in Spanish).
  22. ^ Jaramillo, Vania (27 October 2022). "Guanajuato "permitió" el matrimonio igualitario pero no ha legislado: Colectivos". Zona Franca (in Spanish).
  23. ^ "Guanajuato dice "sí" al matrimonio igualitario". Expansión Política (in Spanish). 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Guanajuato le da el sí al amor y aprueba el matrimonio igualitario". El Financiero (in Spanish). 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  25. ^ "Guanajuato authorizes equal marriage; legislation is still pending". The Canadian. 21 December 2021. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  26. ^ "Se casa la primera pareja LGBT en Irapuato sin trabas legales ni gubernamentales". La Silla Rota Guanajuato (in Spanish). 11 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  27. ^ Araiza, Leonel (26 January 2022). "Decreta gobernador matrimonio igualitario en Guanajuato". Página Central (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  28. ^ Ortiz, Iván (2024-09-27). "Guanajuato: Matrimonio igualitario en riesgo con Libia García". Homosensual (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-09-29.
  29. ^ Avila, Alfonsina (15 October 2024). "Matrimonio igualitario seguirá aplicable, sin amparos, en Guanajuato: Secretario de gobierno". Zona Franca (in Spanish).
  30. ^ "Justice Commission Supports Equal Marriage and Sanction of ECOSIG in Guanajuato". infobae (in Spanish). 12 November 2025.
  31. ^ "Suprema Corte no avalaría llamar "sociedad de convivencia" al matrimonio igualitario en Guanajuato, advierten diputados". Milenio (in Spanish). 12 November 2025.
  32. ^ "Aprueban reformas en materia de matrimonio". Congress of Guanajuato (in Spanish). 4 December 2025.
  33. ^ "Matrimonio igualitario es legal en Guanajuato; 6 años de prisión por terapias de conversión". Diario Evolución (in Spanish). 4 December 2025.
  34. ^ "Congreso de Guanajuato aprueba matrimonio igualitario; rechazan despenalización del aborto". Milenio (in Spanish). 4 December 2025.
  35. ^ "Matrimonios, Entidad y municipio de registro, Sexo, Sexo". INEGI (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  36. ^ "Celebran más de 200 matrimonios igualitarios en lo que va del 2022 en Guanajuato". Periódico Correo (in Spanish). 14 November 2022.
  37. ^ (in Spanish) #Data | ¿Quién está en contra del matrimonio gay? Archived 2019-04-16 at the Wayback Machine
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