ARGENTINA: Catholic Church organizes anti-gay marriage protest as Argentine Senate set to vote on controversial law

Record ID: 277474

  • Title: ARGENTINA: Catholic Church organizes anti-gay marriage protest as Argentine Senate set to vote on controversial law
  • Date: 15th July 2010
  • Summary: OBELISK IN BUENOS AIRES VARIOUS OF PEOPLE GATHERED IN SUPPORT OF GAY MARRIAGE SIGN READING "THE SAME LOVE, THE SAME RIGHTS, THE SAME NAMES." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE GATHERED IN SUPPORT OF GAY MARRIAGE CARS HONKING THEIR HORNS IN SUPPORT OF GAY MARRIAGE
  • Embargoed: 30th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Argentina
  • Country: Argentina
  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA1JPTZT7A24VBSZEFSQ4DJESU2
  • Story Text: Thousands protest as Argentina's Senate prepares to vote on a controversial gay-marriage law.
    Thousands of Argentines opposed to gay marriage gathered outside the Senate building on Tuesday (July 13), a day ahead of an important vote by lawmakers on whether to legalize gay-marriage in the country.
    The protest was organized by the Catholic Church and other religious organizations, which are strongly opposed to the measure.
    "I came to defend marriage between man and woman, because I think any attempt against this is an attempt against natural law," said Angeles Navarro, one of the protesters.
    The measure has already been approved by Argentina's House of Deputies, who have sent the law to the Senate. President Christina Fernandez Kirchner has stated that she would not veto the measure if it arrived in her office.
    Estela Gigena, one of the protesters, said that she was opposed to the gay-marriage law because she sees strongly defined roles for men and women in the household.
    "I fight for the kids, so that they have a mother and a father. Because naturally, they need the male mind and the female mind for some things. Everybody has their role, and every role is an important as the other," Gigena said.
    Celmira Bottini, the director of National Institute of Marriage and Family, which is part of Argentina's Catholic University, said she hoped lawmakers would take the massive protest into account when making their final decisions.
    "We are going to defend this to the last. Because this is part of our social fabric, that's why the response is so important to us, because it shows our civic consciousness, that of our people, and we hope that our legislators and representatives take this into account. The will of the people, and not that of a small minority that are in reality very few," Bottini said.
    Another rival protest in support of the law was also held on Tuesday night.
    The city of Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital, is widely considered amongst the most gay-friendly cities in Latin America. It was the first Latin American city to legalize same-sex unions.
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