Capital legalises gay unions in first for Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Nov 10 (Reuters) Mexico City approved homosexual civil unions, legalizing gay partnerships for the first time in the world's second-largest Catholic nation.

The national capital's municipal assembly, controlled by left-wing legislators, yesterday backed legal gay union by a vote of 43-17 as hundreds of rival protesters demonstrated noisily outside the building.

The local congress in the northern border state of Coahuila, bordering Texas, began debating a similar law to legalise gay unions this week.

''These reforms are going to cause a snowball effect that no one will be able to stop,'' said David Sanchez of the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution, one of very few openly gay national congressman.

The legislation in Mexico City and Coahuila is modeled on France's civil code and provides property, pension, inheritance and even co-parenting rights but stops short of allowing full marriage or adoption of children.

REUTERS DH BST0443