Posted on 12/29/2009 1:14:17 PM PST by NYer
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — They had to travel to the ends of the Earth to do it, but two Argentine men succeeded in becoming Latin America's first same-sex married couple.
After their first attempt to wed earlier this month in Buenos Aires was thwarted, gay rights activists Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre took their civil ceremony to the capital of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, where sympathetic governor backed their bid to make Latin American history.
The couple exchanged rings Monday in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, closer to Antarctica than Buenos Aires. The informal ceremony was witnessed by state and federal officials.
"My knees didn't stop shaking," said Di Bello. "We are the first gay couple in Latin America to marry."
Di Bello, 41, an executive at the Argentine Red Cross, met Freyre, 39, executive director of the Buenos Aires AIDS Foundation, at an HIV awareness conference. Both are HIV-positive.
At the indoor civil ceremony, the grooms wore sport coats without ties, and had large red ribbons draped around their necks in solidarity with other people living with HIV.
Argentina's Constitution is silent on whether marriage must be between a man and a woman, effectively leaving the matter to provincial and city officials. The men tried to get married in Argentina's capital but city officials, who had earlier said the ceremony could proceed, refused to wed them citing conflicting judicial rulings.
Di Bello said Ushuaia initially declined to authorize the marriage, but went ahead after the couple received backing from Tierra del Fuego province.
Gov. Fabiana Rios said in a statement that gay marriage "is an important advance in human rights and social inclusion and we are very happy that this has happened in our state."
An official representing the federal government's antidiscrimination agency, Claudio Morgado, attended the wedding and called the occasion "historic."
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A road he has trod many a-time.
The first and last time I ever went there - it's a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. Barney fits in perfectly.
I last went there in ‘94. I had the most horrid clam chowder ever there. I think the waiter came in my soup.
OH GOD NO!!! YUCK!!! Legal Seafood has great chowder.
I used almost a whole can of Lysol when we stayed there. I sprayed down EVERYTHING in the hotel room!!!
Ew,that’s gross! I’m glad I’m not eating right now.*vomit*
Hey, if they had filmed me eating it, it would’ve been Bukkake.
FM - yuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccckkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I’m sure they all had a good laugh at my expense. Feed the Young Republican not a nice bowl of Clam Chowder but instead a piping hot bowl of Cream of Sumyunguy.
triple yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkk..........
Bukkake? I don’t know what that is.
I really don’t think you want to know.
Probably not,since I have a weak stomach.
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