Lesbians form Mexico's first gay civil union

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Two lesbians have formed Mexico's first gay civil union in a landmark ceremony in one of the world's most Roman Catholic countries.

Dressed in black jackets, Karla Lopez and Karina Almaguer, both 29, became Mexico's first gay "civil partners" on Wednesday, in Coahuila, a mining and ranching region bordering Texas.

"It is time we Mexicans begin to discuss these type of questions, without taboos, without prejudice," David Sanchez, the only openly gay federal congressman, said on Thursday. "It's a very historic moment."

Last year, a Catholic bishop in Coahuila said long-term gay couples needed legal protection, but many in Mexico's Catholic Church strongly oppose gay civil unions.

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