Happy Pride Month! Want some good news? LBGTQ rights are expanding in this hemisphere. May 26, 2020, Costa Rica became the eighth country in the continent of the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage. The Ticos, as they call themselves, are the first in Central America to provide marriage equality. The change has been in the works since 2016, when Costa Rica’s President Luis Guillermo Solís asked the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to rule on same-sex marriage. In 2018, the International Court responded recommending all the countries in the Americas extend complete marriage and family rights to LGBTQ couples.

In 2018, the Costa Rican Constitutional Court took the next logical step and ruled in favor of marriage equality. Their verdict gave the legislature 18 months to provide the necessary laws to implement the progression. Wise enough to know that there might be further delays, the court also specified that the ruling would become law as of May 26, 2020, whether the way was paved or not. Beginning two weeks ago, Costa Rican same-sex partners celebrated their marriages.

In other prideworthy news, two women made Chilean history yesterday by getting court approval for both of their names to be listed on their child’s birth certificate. The judge ordered both mothers’ names, Gigliola Di Gimmarino and Emma de Ramón, to be included in the Civil Registry as the parents of their son. Judge Rebolledo’s verdict included the statement, “It is the obligation of the Chilean state to offer its protection, without discrimination, to all the family configurations that exist and strive to integrate them into national life. To that end, it is essential that the marital status into which a child is born and grows, including a family headed by people of the same gender who have shown interest in having children should naturally coincide with parental legal rights and should be reflected in the child’s documents of identification.” (my translation) Chile allows for civil unions of same-sex couples, but has not yet legalized their marriage. The judge of this case gives me hope that will change, perhaps after Chilean presidential elections next year?

What gives you hope?

Gracias for visiting Fake Flamenco! I appreciate your comments! ¡Olé! –Rebecca

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