Argentine Judge Stops Gay Marriage

A judge in Argentina has overturned a ruling that would have allowed the first gay marriage in Latin America. Judge Marta Gomez Alsina, in the capital Buenos Aires, ordered Tuesday's planned wedding of Alejandro Freyre and Jose Maria Di Bello suspended. The court website said she had ordered the wedding blocked until the issue could be resolved by the Supreme Court. The couple were granted permission to marry after successfully appealing against an earlier ruling. But despite the last minute setback, their lawyer said they would still try to go ahead with the ceremony, AP news agency reported. Maria Rachid said that the new ruling should not overturn the decision to let them marry. The marriage had been scheduled at the Beruti registry office in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires. The Argentine capital became the first city in Latin America to approve civil unions for gay couples in 2002. However, the move has led to much legal and religious wrangling in Argentina.