Baja California state legislators on Tuesday approved a draft initiative that seeks to eliminate the costly and lengthy legal obstacles that gay and lesbian couples face when seeking a marriage license in the northern border state. The governance commission of the state Congress approved the draft measure with five votes in favor, zero opposed and one abstention. The draft initiative is set to go before the full legislative body on July 15 for final ratification. The Baja California Congress rarely reverses a vote in favor of a bill, but advocates backing the initiative say they are prepared for anything. Same-sex marriage has been technically legal in Mexico since 2015, when the Mexican Supreme court issued a ruling that gave same-sex couples the right to seek an injunction against state laws banning their marriages.