MEXICO CITY – Over a hundred same-sex couples tied the knot on Friday in a group ceremony that was both romantic and political as part of Mexico City’s gay pride celebrations month.

According to reports, 147 couples expressed their commitment to one another in a heartwarming gathering, epitomizing their years-long fight for equal rights. The ceremony started with a concert by the Gay Choir of Mexico City, followed by a civil ritual to exchange vows and formalize the marriage. “I told myself that today is just a normal day,” groom Ricardo Mercado said. “But I do feel the nervousness and emotion, this nice feeling especially, with all the community here united, you feel a nice energy.”

Mexico City, the capital city of Mexico, was in the global vanguard regarding same-sex marriage. The metropolis legalized such unions back in 2009. In 2023, hundreds of same-sex couples and transgender people in Mexico City celebrated weddings and the completion of administrative processes to change their gender.

That year, some 120 couples met the requirements to get married under the slogan “Hand in hand, we march with pride,” the city government said in a statement. In 2022, the ceremony took place for the first time in two years, after being cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. A large wedding cake topped with rainbow frosting was shared. The ceremony, funded by local government, provides an economical way for couples to get married. (CNN)…[+]