After 35 years of contented living in free union, Edith Gisela González Rodríguez, 65, and Socorro García Aguilar, 62, legally tied the knot at a civil marriage ceremony held Monday, July 10 at Chapala City Hall.
Hailing originally from Mexico City, González and García took up residence in San Nicolas de Ibarra in 1986, where they have shared in raising two sons and four grandchildren. They make up the eighth same-sex pair to unite in civil marriage at Chapala’s Civil Registry.
Attending the nuptials along with other close friends and relatives were Agustina Loera Carrillo and spouse Gerardo Padilla Puga, who stood up as matron of honor and best man to present the pair with their wedding rings.
Present to sign witnesses of the marriage act were Raúl Vargas López, president of the Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) in Jalisco, and his life partner Érika Natalia Juárez Miranda.
The politician established bonds with González back in the 1980s, when they became leading activists in the state’s gay rights movement, pushing tirelessly for the legal rights of the LGBT community and social acceptance of sexual diversity.
After presiding at the formalities, Civil Registry Director Antonio Manzano Uribe revealed that two other women and six male couples have pledged vows there since September of last year. Among them were three U.S. citizens who formalized their relationships with Mexican partners, he noted.
“The Chapala government operates on a philosophy of inclusion, tolerance and respect for human rights, including the legal right of marriage equality as determined by a Supreme Court ruling,” Manzano declared.
Activists, including Vargas, have criticized the Jalisco Congress for dragging its heels in amending the state’s Civil Code to reflect that 2016 ruling.