Mexican president proposes legalising same-sex union

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Tuesday signed an initiative to amend the constitution to allow same-sex marriage.

On the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, Peña Nieto said that his proposal to legalise same-sex marriage would serve to consolidate the ruling issued last year by the supreme court rendering state laws prohibiting gay marriage unconstitutional, reported EFE news.

By proposing a modification to Article 4 of Mexico's constitution, Peña Nieto, surrounded by defenders of sexual diversity, said it would be recognised as "a human right that people may marry without any discrimination".

"That is, for marriages to be carried out without discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or nationality, of disabilities, of social or health conditions, of religion, of gender or sexual preference," he added.

Along with this proposal, Peña Nieto presented a second measure to guarantee in the Federal Civil Code that people of the same sex may marry, a measure using non-discriminatory language.

Peña Nieto said he wished to transform Mexico into a "global actor" in the fight for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) rights, saying that the nation also will be part of an analysis group on the issue at the United Nations.

Mexico's National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday organised a forum to evaluate homophobia in the country, after reports have placed it at No. 2 in the world for hate crimes against the LGBT community.

--IANS

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