On Monday, lawmakers in Mexico City became the first in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriage. The city’s legislative assembly passed the bill by a vote of 39 to 20, with five abstentions. In a separate motion, the assembly voted 31 to 29 in favour of legalising adoption by same-sex couples. Five legislators abstained.

As it currently stands, certain parts of Latin America allow same-sex civil partnerships, and the city’s move comes a month after an Argentine court narrowly blocked what would have been the continent’s first gay marriage. In a last-minute challenge, the case was referred to the country’s Supreme Court, which is due to rule on the issue.

Mexico City, which passed its law in the face of fierce opposition from the top ranks of the Catholic Church, joins the seven countries and five US states which offer full marriage rights to homosexuals, regarding social security and other benefits.

The law is likely to be signed soon by the city’s increasingly high-profile, leftist mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, and has been celebrated by gay rights movements around the world. The bill’s passage was also a victory for the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), which has controlled government of Mexico’s capital since 1997. However, alongside much of the Catholic Church, the bill was opposed by members of President Felipe Calderon’s National Action Party which holds power nationally.

However, as debate on the issue continues to rage on in Argentina, for same-sex couples in Mexico City who witnessed the vote on Monday, it was a moment of celebration. Victor Romo, a representative for the PRD who voted for the law declared that: “Today (…) barriers have come down”.