Update: First gay marriage blocked in Latin America

An Argentine judge has overturned a ruling that would have allowed the first gay marriage in Latin America.

The official court Web site says national judge Marta Gomez Alsina ordered the wedding blocked until the issue can be resolved by the Supreme Court.

Jose Maria Di Bello and his partner Alex Freyre have been planning to wed on Tuesday, based on another judge's ruling. Their attorney says they'll still try to go ahead with the ceremony because they weren't told of Monday's ruling.

Attorney Maria Rachid argues that the new ruling should not overturn the original decision to let them wed.

The ruling came as a surprise in the predominantly Catholic country, especially to the couple who filed the lawsuit.

"We are very happy, moved, but we also feel the heavy weight of responsibility because it's not just about us, it's encouraging legal equality in Argentina and the rest of Latin America," Di Bello told Agence France-Presse.

In her ruling, Judge Seijus said, "The law should treat everyone with the same respect according to their singularities, without the need to understand or regulate them." 

Civil unions between same-gender couples in Buenos Aires have been legal since 2002, but the new ruling could have a significant impact on same-gender marriage laws in Argentina, or it could be overturned by civil authorities in the region.  However,  Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri, a conservative, said the government would make no such move.

Macri told reporters, "The world is heading in this direction."

Friday's ruling ordered the civil registry to make official the marriage of Alejandro Freyre and Jose Maria Di Bello.,  The couple had been denied their request because they were both men, according to Inquirer.net.