Same-sex marriage in Argentina

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Argentina since July 22, 2010. Before this, laws to let couples who love each other marry were introduced in 2009 by members of the Socialist and New Encounter parties. After many discussions, the law was approved by the Chamber of Deputies on May 5, 2010, and later by the Senate in July. President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner signed the law, and it became official the next day.

Many people in Argentina believe that couples who love each other should be able to get married, whether they are both men or both women. When Argentina made this change, it was the first country in South America and Latin America to do so. It was also an important moment for many people around the world.

Since 2015, couples who are not married can join in a civil union. This gives them some of the same rights as married couples. Before that, some places like the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and the province of Río Negro had already allowed civil unions.

Unregistered cohabitation

In December 2005, a judge in Córdoba decided that prisons should allow couples, including same-sex couples, to have visits together.

In August 2008, the Government of Argentina said that same-sex couples who had lived together for more than five years could get money from their partner’s pension after they passed away. This was the first time such a rule was made across all of Argentina.

After this, four big groups of workers, like teachers and airline staff, decided to let same-sex partners of their members use health insurance benefits. These benefits come from a health care system that works together with the government and unions.

Civil unions

In the early 2000s, some parts of Argentina allowed civil unions. These were special agreements for couples who lived together.

Places like Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Villa Carlos Paz, and Río Cuarto started allowing civil unions between 2002 and 2009.

Later, in August 2015, all of Argentina made civil unions legal for everyone. This meant couples in civil unions could visit each other in the hospital and had rights to inherit things and get pensions.

Same-sex marriage

Two weeks before the 2009 mid-term elections, Justice Minister Aníbal Fernández said he supported talking about allowing same-sex marriage in the National Congress. He said a law that did not treat everyone the same would "end discrimination".

In late 2009, two members of Congress, Silvia Augsburger and Vilma Ibarra, worked together on a proposal to change the law so that same-sex couples could marry. On May 5, 2010, the lower house of Congress voted to allow same-sex marriage. On July 15, the upper house also voted to allow it. President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner signed the law on July 21, and it became official on July 22. This law means that same-sex couples have all the same rights as married couples.

The first same-sex marriage took place on July 30, 2010, between Miguel Ángel Calefato and José Luis Navarro in Frías.

Public opinion

Surveys show that many people in Argentina support same-sex marriage. In 2013 to 2014, about half of all Argentines supported it. By 2015, this grew to 59%. In 2016, 73% of young people aged 18 to 21 supported it.

By 2017, support was at 65%, which was the second highest in South America, just behind Uruguay. In 2021, 73% supported same-sex marriage, and 20% had already attended a same-sex wedding. In 2023, support stayed strong at 70%, with younger people and women showing even more support.