A huge anti-gay rally was held this week in Mexico, to protest the decision of a state to legalise same-sex marriage.

The state of Coahuila voted a bill into law earlier this month legalising same-sex marriage and gay adoption – just the third state to do so, behind Mexico City and Quintana Roo.

The state, which borders Texas, legalised civil unions in 2007, but same-sex couples were previously exempt from adoption and social security benefits.

The protest in Coahuila’s capital of Saltillo came a week after the first same-sex marriages took place in the state.

Protesters carried placards calling for politicians to “rescue marriage” and restore the “law of God”, while preachers read extracts from Genesis and Leviticus.

It was described as a “sea of people” by El Universial, with estimates of between 30,000 and 48,000 attendees.

In December, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled in favour of three couples wishing to marry in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, in a decision which was seen by some as opening the door to eventually having a federal equal marriage law.

Almost 400 same-sex couples married in Mexico within the first six months of the law permitting same-sex marriage coming into effect. The law also allowed gay couples to adopt.