MEXICO CITY -- Gay-rights advocates in Mexico today are hailing a ruling by the nation's Supreme Court that says that marriage is not just between a man and a woman, a decision that will have widespread implications throughout the country.

The news was reported by AnimalPolitico.com and After Marriage blog, among others, noting that the text of the actual ruling has yet to be published.

Mexico's high court struck down Oaxaca state's ban on marriage equality, a decision that "paves the way to universal marriage rights in the country," the blog stated.

[UPDATE FOLLOWS]

Tijuana's largest newspaper, Frontera, wrote in its headline today: "SCJN abre camino a bodas gay en todo el País" --

which roughly translates to "Supreme court opens the way to gay weddings for the entire country."

La Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (SCJN) ordenó al Registro Civil de Oaxaca registrar los matrimonios de tres parejas homosexuales, un criterio que abre el camino para el futuro reconocimiento de estas uniones en el resto del País. Por unanimidad de votos, la Primera Sala de la Corte declaró inconstitucional la porción del artículo 143 del Código Civil de Oaxaca que define al matrimonio como la unión entre un hombre y una mujer y establece que tiene como fin la procreación.



Google Translate: The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) ordered the Civil Registry of Oaxaca register marriages of three gay couples, an approach that opens the way for the future recognition of such unions in the rest of the country. By unanimous vote, the First Chamber of the Court declared unconstitutional the portion of Article 143 of the Civil Code of Oaxaca that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman and provides that aims to procreation.

[END OF UPDATE]

The Supreme Court has ruled in 2010 that same-sex marriages performed under a Mexico City law had to be recognized nationwide, but few states followed that precedent.

Marriage equality is gaining momentum throughout the Americas. Uruguay's House is expected to approve marriage equality on Tuesday, Dec. 11, sending the bill to its Senate for a vote in early 2013. Same-sex marriages are legal in Canada, Argentina and nine states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. Across the pond, gay marriage is legal in Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Sweden.