HispanicBusiness

The legal confusion swirling around gay marriage apparently isn't confined the United States.

This week, in Argentina, officials in the city of Buenos Aires barred at the last minute what would have been the first gay marriage in Latin America.

Jose Maria Di Bello, 41, and Alex Freyre, 39, on Tuesday showed up dressed for their wedding at the Buenos Aires civil registry office. Both are HIV positive, and chose the date because it coincided with World AIDS Day, according to the New York Times.

Their arrival came on the heels of a series of contradictory legal rulings on whether they were allowed to marry.

On Nov. 20, a city court had granted them permission, but that decision was overturned by a national judge on Monday. Then, on Tuesday -- the same day they later tried to tie the knot -- the first judge from the city again ruled that they could marry.

But then, while the couple was waiting in the municipal office, the city's mayor -- who had initially OK'ed the couple's right to marry -- backpedaled, decreeing that they could not wed until the Argentina's Supreme Court weighs in.

Lawyers announced the news before a group of chanting protesters.

"In a complete act of disrespect, the city government has decided to ignore the city judge's ruling," Maria Rachid, president of the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals, told the Times.