Gay Rainbow Flag
Gay marriage has been passed in Britain following Queen Elizabeth II's royal stamp of approval. Creative Commons

Gay marriage may become legal in the South American country of Uruguay. It would join Argentina as the second Latin American country to legalize gay marriage. The Uruguayan Senate approved the motion, sending it to a re-vote in the lower house of Uruguay's Congress. If it passes, President Jose "Pepe" Mujica Cordano said he will sign the bill, making it the law of the land in Uruguay.

The gay marriage bill was passed in overwhelming favor by the Senate in Uruguay, being approved 23-8. The bill reportedly eliminates the terms "husband and woman" from Uruguayan marriage contracts. Despite Uruguay being 75 percent Catholic by identification, the country has become increasingly liberal and secular, legalizing abortion in 2012.

The 77-year-old Mujica's government has been pushing a progressive agenda since taking office in 2010. Uruguay also allows same-sex couples to adopt children, earning the moniker of being "very liberal by Latin American standards" according to Human Life International.

Other countries that Uruguay will join in accepting gay marriage include South Africa, Belgium, Spain and the original nation to legalize gay marriage, the famously progressive Netherlands.

The Catholic Church is disapproving of such a motion by Uruguay. Pope Francis, a former bishop from neighboring Argentina, has called past edicts by President Cristina Fernandez "destructive attack[s] on God's plan."

Uruguay's move toward legalizing gay marriage is an important one as all eyes are on the U.S. Supreme Court, as they deliberate such policies here in the United States.

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