Peruvian court opens door to legally recognize same-sex couples | Inquirer News

Peruvian court opens door to legally recognize same-sex couples

/ 12:15 PM July 22, 2023

A Peruvian high court orders same-sex unions to be legally registered in public records

FILE PHOTO: Participants attend the LGBTQ+ Pride Parade, after it being canceled for two years due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Lima, Peru, on June 25, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda/File Photo

LIMA — A Peruvian high court has ordered same-sex unions to be legally registered in public records, marking a victory for the LGBTQ community in a country that has been reluctant to recognize gay couples.

The ruling, published on Friday, followed a case brought by a gay Peruvian citizen who sued the registration office for refusing to record her 2019 marriage overseas, saying her constitutional rights were violated.

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Representatives of the office were not immediately available for comment.

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Peru is one of the few countries in Latin America that has not recognized same-sex marriage, though it is not illegal to be gay.

READ: Same-sex marriage now legal in 30 countries

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A 2021 survey by Ipsos found that 68% of people in Peru were in favor of same-sex marriage or other legal recognition. However, 61% disapproved of gay people in public office.

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The Lima court ordered the records office to “proceed with the registration” of the woman’s marriage, the Superior Court of Justice of Lima said on Twitter.

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The court declared “inapplicable” an article of the Peruvian Civil Code of 1984 on the family, which refers to marriage as the voluntary union between a man and a woman.

It is likely that an appeal against the ruling will be lodged.

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READ: Vatican says Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions

In 2020, a gay couple took Peru to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights after they lost a bid for recognition of their Mexican marriage certificate.

At the time, the constitutional court ruled that the civil registry of Peru only recognizes the marriage between a man and a woman.

Other countries in South America, including Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and Colombia, have legalized gay marriage in recent years.

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READ: Radical shift: Pope backs same-sex civil unions

TAGS: court, LGBTQ, Peru, same-sex unions

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