Being the seat of the Powers of the Union, Mexico City did not belong to any particular state but to all. After years of demanding greater political autonomy, residents were given the right to directly elect the Head of Government of the Federal District and the representatives of the unicameral Legislative Assembly (ALDF) by popular vote in 1997. Ever since, the centerleft Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) has controlled both political powers.In the early 2000s, Eno Uranga, an openly lesbian politician and activist, unsuccessfully pushed a bill that would have legalized samesex civil unions in Mexico City under the name Ley de Sociedades de Convivencia (LSC, Law for Coexistence Partnerships).[3] Despite being passed four times by legislative commissions, the bill repeatedly got stuck in plenary voting for its sensitive nature, which could be attributed to the widespread opposition from rightwing groups and thenHead of Government Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador's ambiguity concerning the bill.[4] Nonetheless, as new leftwing mayor Marcelo Ebrard was expected to take power in December 2006, the ALDF decided to take up the bill and approved it in a 4317 vote on 9 November 2006.[4]Party of the Democratic Revolution33The law was well received by feminist and LGBT groups, including Emilio lvarez Icaza, thenchairman of the Federal District's Human Rights Commission, who declared that "the law was not a threat to anyone in particular, and that it will be a matter of time before it shows positive consequences for different social groups." It was strongly opposed by rightwing groups such as the National Parents' Union and the Roman Catholic Church, which labeled the assemblymen who voted for the law as "sinners", and complained it was "vengeance against the Catholic Church from the more radical groups from the left, who felt it was a demand for justice."[4] The law officially took effect on 16 March 2007.[5] Mexico City's first samesex civil union was between Jorge Cerpa, a 31yearold economist, and Antonio Medina, a 38yearold journalist.[5] As of December 2009, 736 samesex civil unions have taken place in the city since the law became effective, of which 24 have been annulled (3%).[6]On 24 November 2009, PRD assemblyman David Raz proposed a bill that would legalize samesex marriage in Mexico City. According to Raz, "Gays and lesbians pay taxes like everyone else, obey the law like everyone else, build the city like everyone else, and there is no reason they should have a different and special set of rules."[7] The bill essentially sought to modify the definition of marriage contained in the Civil Code, using genderneutral language. Raz added that the bill was "to be in agreement with Article 1 of the Constitution, which says that no person can be discriminated against for any reason, and with Article 2 of the Civil Code, which says that no person can be deprived of the exercise of their rights for reasons of sexual orientation."[7] Emiliano Aguilar, PRI assemblyman, was criticized for giving out homophobic pamphlets, which showed transgender prostitutes with the inscription "Lawmaker, would you like to see your children ending up like this? Do not promote homosexuality."[8] Luis Gonzlez Plascencia, chairman of the Humans Rights Commission of Mexico City, backed the bill and said that it was up to the ALDF to consider LGBT adoption.[8] The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), International Amnesty (AI), the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and over 600 nongovernmental organizations supported the legalization of samesex marriage in Mexico City.[9] The PAN has announced it will either go to the courts to appeal the law or demand a referendum.[10][11] However, a referendum on samesex marriage was rejected by the Legislative Assembly in a 3622 vote on 18 December 2009.[12]On 21 December 2009, the Legislative Assembly approved the legalization of samesex marriage in a 3920 vote. PRD Head of Government Marcelo Ebrard had been expected to sign the bill. The bill changes the definition of marriage in the city's Civil Code from "a free union between a man and a woman" to "a free union between two people."[13] The law was written to allow samesex couples to adopt children, apply for bank loans, inherit wealth and be included in the insurance policies of their spouse, among other rights they were previously denied under civil unions in the city.[14] The PAN vowed to challenge the law in the courts.[14] On 29 December 2009, Head of Government Marcelo Ebrard signed the bill into law and it became effective on March 4, 2010.[1][2] On August 5, the Supreme Court voted 92 to uphold the constitutionality of Mexico City's samesex marriage law.[15] On August 10, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that samesex marriages performed in Mexico City must be recognized throughout the country.[16]Party of the Democratic Revolution34An opinion poll conducted in September 2009 showed that the population of Mexico City was almost evenly divided on the issue of samesex marriage, with 48% in favour and 46% against.[17]From 27 November to 30 November 2009, major newspaper El Universal polled 1,000 Mexico City citizens concerning the legalization of samesex marriage in the city. 50% supported it, 38% were against it and 12% had no opinion. The same poll showed that support was stronger among the youngest population (age: 1829), 67%, and weaker among the oldest (age: 50 and up), 38%. With 48% the most cited reason was "right of choice" for the supporters, followed by "everybody is equal" with 14%. 39% of the opposers cited "it is not normal" as the main reason to not support samesex marriage, followed by "we lose values" with 18%.[18]The National Action Party issued a statement calling the samesex marriage bill "an electoral ploy by the PRD that mocks and abuses the gay community."[19] The Roman Catholic Church has strongly opposed the bill since it was taken up by the city Legislative Assembly earlier in September, by calling samesex marriage, among other things, "immoral," saying marriage must hold the promise of procreation, something that is possible only between a man and a woman.[20] Armando Martnez Gmez, president of a Catholic attorneys group, called on Mayor Marcelo Ebrard to veto the bill, which Martnez noted went further than the city executive had intended when legislators removed a clause that would have forbidden adoption.[20] Authentic Bernard Pollard Jersey