Same-sex marriage is not legal in the Mexican state of Guerrero. After the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation's ruling, in which it ruled same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional, went into effect on 22 June, officials in Guerrero began announcing plans for a collective group wedding. GovernorRogelio Ortega Martínez submitted a same-sex marriage bill to Congress on 7 July 2015 and instructed civil agencies to approve same-sex marriage licenses. Legislators lamented they would have preferred to have the bill passed before marriages took place, but given the time line presented, it was unlikely. On 10 July 2015, twenty same-sex couples were married by the Governor in Acapulco. Same-sex marriage legalization is not universal in the state. Several municipalities issue same-sex marriage licenses, covering 15% of the population in 2020, while others choose not to do so.
History
Legislation
A civil unions bill was debated in Guerrero in 2009, but the legislation stalled. In 2014, LGBT rights organizations began pressing the Congress of Guerrero to approve same-sex marriage and adoption. On 7 July 2015, the state Governor submitted a same-sex marriage bill to Congress. On 20 May 2016, PRI Deputy Vicario Castrejón announced that the bill was on the Congress' agenda; however, it has not yet been voted upon. The July 2018 elections resulted in the National Regeneration Movement, a pro-same-sex marriage party, winning the majority of legislative seats in Guerrero. In January 2019, the state Justice Committee began analyzing the initiative to legalize same-sex marriage.
Injunctions
The first same-sex marriage in Guerrero was announced for 28 September 2013, but did not actually occur until 5 June 2014 in the town of Teloloapan, witnessed by Mayor Ignacio Valladares. Valladares approved the couple's request for a marriage license based upon the Supreme Court of Justice's 2012 ruling that prohibiting same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. However, Guerrero's Civil Code did not allow for same-sex marriage. Lawyers in the state declared that the marriage was both illegal and void and indicated that the Mayor could be prosecuted. On 20 December 2014, a same-sex ceremony was held in the city ofChilapa de Álvarez though the civil marriage was conducted in Iztapalapa in Mexico City. The couple expressed that they felt it was important for them to have a celebration complete with rings from their godparents, vows, and a toast with their friends and families in the city where they live and work, to help other same-sex couples gain societal acceptance.
Executive decision
On 25 June 2015, following the Supreme Court's ruling striking down district same-sex marriage bans on a "jurisprudential" basis, a civil registrar of Guerrero announced that they had planned a collective same-sex marriage ceremony for 10 July 2015 and indicated that there would have to be a change to the law to allow gender-neutral marriage, passed through the state Congress before the official commencement. The registry announced more details of their plan, advising that only select registration offices in the state would be able to participate in the collective marriage event. The Governor instructed civil agencies to approve same-sex marriage licenses. On 10 July 2015, 20 same-sex couples were married by Governor Rogelio Ortega in Acapulco. On 12 July 2015, the Civil Registry for the municipality of Tecpán de Galeana announced that the civil registration offices in that municipality which can accept same-sex marriage applications are Tecpán, the town of San Luis de la Loma, the town of Tenexpa and Papanoa. On 13 January 2016, the head of the Civil Registry of Acapulco claimed that the 20 same-sex marriages that occurred on 10 July 2015 in Acapulco were void, as there was no law to permit same-sex marriage in the state. On 13 February 2016, a day before mass Valentine's Day weddings were planned statewide, the head of Guerrero's State Civil Registry department announced that same-sex couples could marry in any of the municipalities that want to marry the couples and criticised Acapulco's Civil Registry and other civil registries throughout the state for not allowing these kinds of weddings. The department head stated that same-sex marriages conducted in Guerrero will be legally valid. Some Guerreran municipalities such as Chilpancingo de los Bravo, Taxco de Alarcón, Tecpán de Galeana and Zihuatanejo de Azueta marry same-sex couples, while others such as Acapulco refuse to do so. In March 2016, an LGBT rights group in the state began the process of filing lawsuits to have all municipalities perform same-sex marriages.
Marriage statistics
By September 2015, approximately 60 same-sex marriages had occurred in the state. Most took place in the municipalities of Chilpancingo de los Bravo, Acapulco and Zihuatanejo de Azueta.
Public opinion
A 2017 opinion poll conducted by Gabinete de Comunicación Estratégica found that 50% of Guerrero residents supported same-sex marriage. 46% were opposed. According to a 2018 survey by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía, 54% of the Guerrero public opposed same-sex marriage.
