In the year since Argentina lawmakers legalized gay marriage, 2,697 gay and lesbian couples have tied the knot, La Nacion reported.

Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize gay marriage after President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner signed the law on July 21, 2010. Lawmakers approved the law over the strong objections of the Roman Catholic Church; one cardinal called the movement to legalized such unions the devil's handiwork. Opponents have begun a petition drive calling on lawmakers to nullify the law.

A couple together 27 years was the first to marry under the law. Architect Juan Carlos Navarro married his partner Miguel Angel Calefato in Santiago del Estero on July 30.

More men (60%) have married than women, and marriages occurred in all states.

“There were weddings in all districts. The balance is very positive,” said Stephen Paulon, general secretary of Federacion Argentina de Lesbianas, Gays, Bisexuales y Trans (FALGBT), the nation's largest gay rights group. “Couples have not faced any major legal hurdles to marrying.”

Paulon added that some couples faced discrimination after marrying, such as the loss of a job or being denied a renewal on a lease.

It is estimated that Argentina has 2,400,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender persons.

Gay marriage is also legal in the city-state of Mexico City, whose marriages are recognized throughout Mexico.