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Havana (CNN) -- The bride pulls up in a vintage American convertible and steps out in her frilly, rented gown. The crowds cheer as they throw rice in her direction. "It's the happiest day of my life," she gushes. But Wendy Iriepa is not your average bride. She is a male-to-female transsexual. Her groom, Ignacio Estrada, is a gay man who is a gay rights activist and outspoken dissident. They are calling this the first gay wedding in Communist Cuba. "It's a step forward for the gay community," Estrada told the throngs of foreign journalists and curious onlookers who crowded...

Mexico City's assembly on Thursday voted for the first time in the country's history to legally recognize gay civil unions, a measure that will provide same-sex couples with benefits similar to those of married couples. The mayor was expected to sign the measure into law. The bill, which does not approve gay marriage, allows same-sex couples to register their union with civil authorities, granting them inheritance and pension rights, as well as other social benefits. Lawmakers were still finalizing the details. Heterosexual couples who are not legally married can also be registered under the legislation. The bill was severely criticized...

Spanish socialists faced a new showdown with the Vatican yesterday after they pledged to crack down on rebel mayors who refuse to allow homosexuals to marry. Emboldened by support from a senior cardinal, centre-Right mayors have threatened to defy a law sponsored by the socialist government allowing civil marriage between gays. But a senior government figure yesterday insisted that public officials "must apply the laws that government proposes and parliament approves". Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, the head of the Pontifical Council on the Family, denounced the legislation last week as "iniquitous" and called on civil servants not to perform homosexual...

When the call came on his cell phone, Roberto Hernandez was driving to work in San Francisco. The caller, who identified himself as Juan, said in Spanish that he had met Hernandez at a gay bar and wanted to see him again. "Refresh my memory, there are so many Juans," said a puzzled Hernandez. The man described himself as slim with "a very nice butt." Eventually, the caller offered to give Hernandez his phone number -- then announced that the conversation was being broadcast live nationwide on the "Raul Brindis and Pepito Show," a Spanish-language morning radio program. "Why did...

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona said on Thursday he was "in love" with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whom he admires for his left-wing political policies. "I like women, but I've fallen in love with Chavez," Argentina's former World Cup winning captain told reporters after having lunch with the Venezuelan leader at the presidential palace. The two embraced afterward. The 44-year-old soccer celebrity, considered one of the greatest players of all time, is also an ardent admirer of Fidel Castro, the Communist President of Cuba where Maradona has lived since 2000 while fighting cocaine addiction.

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- The Catholic Church blasted the Socialist government's plans to legalize gay marriage, saying Monday it would be like releasing a "virus" into Spanish society. The Cabinet is expected Friday to pass a bill allowing same sex marriages, setting predominantly Roman Catholic Spain on course to join the vanguard of largely secular northern European countries that allow gay marriage or some version of it. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero took office in April with an ambitious agenda of social reforms, such as streamlined divorce and a relaxed abortion law. The church is furious, and spoke out...