Mexico City Holds Mass Celebration for Gay, Transgender Rights

A celebration was held on Friday in Mexico City as more than 100 same-sex couples were married and more than 130 transgender people completed the administrative processes to change their genders.

Reuters reports 120 same-sex couples were married on Friday while 131 people officially changed their gender identities.

The mass celebration on Friday preceded Saturday's annual gay pride march in Mexico City.

Keila Espinoza, a 38-year-old who married her partner, Vaneza Garcia, told Reuters the ceremony was emotional for the both of them after years of living together.

"I didn't think it would happen like this," Espinoza said. "It's very exciting."

One groom, Edgar Mendoza, said he tied the knot with his partner after 10 years. "This is a very important document," Mendoza said, referencing the marriage certificate he'd been issued by the city.

"More than a piece of paper or a symbol of marriage, it is security that I can give to my family."

Mexico City became the first jurisdiction in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage in 2009. It wasn't until last year that all of Mexico welcomed same-sex marriages.