First Gay Couple Adopts in Mexico City

From the Guadalajara Reporter:

Despite Mexico City legalizing gay adoption last August, so far just one same-sex couple has taken advantage of the new laws.

Over a year since the landmark legislation was passed, two women from the capital have finally become the first lesbian couple to adopt a child in Mexico, according to the city’s Family Development Agency.

In December 2009 Mexico City’s legislative assembly legalized gay marriage by 31 votes to 24, in the face of vocal criticism from the Catholic Church and the conservative National Action Party (PAN). After legal challenges, the Supreme Court then upheld the law recognizing gay couples’ rights to adoption in August 2010.

This proved equally controversial, with a study in late 2010 by the National Survey on Discrimination revealing that 80 percent of Mexicans above the age of 50 are opposed to adoption by same-sex couples.

More than 1,000 gay couples have wed in Mexico City since the new laws were enacted, six percent of whom were foreigners. It is surprising then, that more have not filed for adoption.

This may be because even non-gay adoption in Mexico is a difficult process involving years of red tape, with orphans usually adopted by a relative anyway. Thus, despite the legislation, it remains unlikely that same-sex adoptions of unrelated children will ever be numerous.