Costa Rica legalises same-sex marriage in first for Central America
Published on: Wednesday, May 27, 2020
By: AFP
Same-sex newlyweds Alexandra Quiros and Dunia Araya stand before a lawyer during their wedding in Heredia, Costa Rica.
SAN JOSE: Costa Rica legalised same-sex marriage on Tuesday, becoming the first Central American country to do so, as a court ruling came into force at midnight.Planned celebrations did not take place because of the coronavirus pandemic, but a special program about LGBT rights was broadcast on public television and online as the first weddings were held.
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“This change will bring about a significant social and cultural transformation, allowing thousands of people to marry,” said President Carlos Alvarado in the program.
Costa Rica is the eighth country in the Americas to recognise same-sex marriage—a group that includes Brazil, Ecuador and Argentina, as well as Canada and the US.
The move was triggered by a 2018 ruling of the Supreme Court which declared the part of the law banning gay marriage was unconstitutional.
That ruling gave parliament 18 months to legislate on the matter—but it did not, so the provision was automatically annulled.
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“Costa Rica is celebrating today: marriage equality has become a reality in the country—the first one in Central America,” said the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (Ilga) in a tweet.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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He expressed “gratitude to the work of so many activists, and of quiet reflection of the lives of those who lived without seeing this moment”.
