The congress of Mexico’s northeastern border state Tamaulipas has voted to recognise same-sex marriage, making it legal across the country.

Mexico City, October 28 (RHC)-- Becoming the last of the country’s states to do so, Tamaulipas amended the state’s Civil Code, setting off cheers of “Yes, we can!” from supporters of the change.   Recently, the states of Mexico, Sonora and Sinaloa voted to legally recognize same-sex marriage, as it has been a long-awaited mark of progress for a country known for gender-related violence.

“Today is a historic day for the LGBTQ community and for Mexico. Today, we and our families are more visible, more equal, and we are a country with more justice,” said activist Enrique Torre Molina.  Mexico City became the country’s first area to legalise same-sex marriage in 2009.

The president of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, Arturo Zaldívar, welcomed the vote.  “The whole country shines with a huge rainbow. Live the dignity and rights of all people. Love is love,” he said on Twitter.

In 2015, the Supreme Court declared state laws preventing same-sex marriage unconstitutional, but some states took several years to adopt laws conforming with the ruling.

Same-sex marriage remains illegal or not recognised in Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, most of Central America and swaths of the Caribbean, according to global LGBTQ rights tracker Equaldex.