As the debate over same-sex marriage continues in much of the Americas, Argentina has set a precedent. In July 2010, Argentina became the first country in Latin America to allow same-sex marriage and same-sex adoptions nationwide.
While the judicial system reviewed various cases of same-sex marriages and the legislative branch debated a bill that would eventually lead to legalization, civil society fought to end discrimination and extend marital rights across the country.
In a public session of the Argentine Senate in June 2010, the Association for Civil Rights (Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, ADC) and the Center for Legal and Social Studies (Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales, CELS), both grantees of the Open Society Latin America Program, reaffirmed the principles of equality and nondiscrimination and encouraged the Senate to pass the same-sex marriage and adoption bill.
Over the following month, ADC and other civil society organizations repeatedly petitioned the Argentine Senate to pass the same-sex marriage and adoption bill, even while the Senate's General Law Committee recommended rejecting the bill. The Argentine Senate passed the same-sex marriage and adoption bill on July 15, 2010.