The Civil Code of Quintana Roo does not define gender requirements for marriage, specifying only "people interested in getting married". A same-sex couple, Patricia Novelo and Areli Castro, filed for a marriage license in Cancún and Chetumal after discovering this legal quirk, but both cities rejected their applications, arguing that a man-woman marriage was implied. The couple then applied in Lázaro Cárdenas Municipality, where authorities accepted the application. Quintana Roo's first two same-sex marriages were held in the community of Kantunilkín on 28 November 2011. Cancún and other resort areas in Quintana Roo planned to hold a same-sex group wedding in January 2012. Newspaper Reforma reported that upcoming ceremonies were suspended following an order by Quintana Roo Secretary of State Luis González Flores to review the legality of the ceremonies. In April 2012, both marriages were annulled by Roberto Borge Angulo, the Governor of Quintana Roo. In May 2012, the Secretary of State reversed the annulments. The next month, both marriages became legal because there was no estoppel in due time. It was also announced that same-sex marriages are legal in all the municipalities of Quintana Roo. However, in 2013, a lesbian couple were denied the right to marry and forced to obtain an injunction in Tulum. The court concluded discriminatory acts had occurred and ordered the state to prevent further discrimination against homosexuals, requiring all Civil Registry offices in Quintana Roo to have marriage license applications for same-sex couples. In September 2014, Bacalar Municipality approved changes in the Civil Registry to equalize procedures for all marriages. Officials in Playa del Carmen announced that same-sex couples were allowed to marry in the municipality as of the last week of September 2014. The municipality of Othón P. Blanco announced that their first same-sex marriage would occur on 26 November 2014. The first same-sex couple to be married in Playa del Carmen were wed on 27 December 2014. The municipality of José María Morelos announced in 2017 that it had equalized procedures for all marriages. Marriage services are also available in Yucatec Maya.
Legislative action
In November 2014, it was announced that a bill to officially legalize same-sex marriage in the state would be introduced and voted on in the current legislative session, thereby replacing the loophole used by couples. In May 2017, after legislative inaction, a new same-sex marriage bill was introduced to the state Congress.
Adoption by same-sex couples
In January 2018, a married same-sex couple in Puerto Morelos were granted the right to register their child. In April 2018, with the help of the Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos, a same-sex couple in the city of Cancún were also allowed to register their newborn son.
Marriage statistics
The National Institute of Statistics and Geography began recording the number of same-sex marriages performed in Quintana Roo in 2018, as shown in the table below. As of mid-December 2014, officials announced that there had been 14 same-sex marriages in Quintana Roo. According to 2018 data from the Civil Registry, most same-sex marriages in the state took place in the northern region, particularly the municipalities of Benito Juárez, Solidaridad, Cozumel, Puerto Morelos, Isla Mujeres and Tulum, but also Bacalar in the south. From January to August 2018, only 3 same-sex marriages were performed in Othón P. Blanco Municipality. In that same time period, one same-sex couple wed in José María Morelos Municipality.
Public opinion
A 2017 opinion poll conducted by Gabinete de Comunicación Estratégica found that 56% of Quintana Roo residents supported same-sex marriage. 37.5% were opposed. According to a 2018 survey by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía, 38% of the Quintana Roo public opposed same-sex marriage.
