A historic day. On Tuesday, may 26, Dunia Araya and Alexandra Quiros get married very early. The couple did not wait long after the entry into force of the measure Monday at midnight in Costa Rica. The country became the first in central America to allow gay marriage, a decision that is expected as a result of a judgment of the supreme Court and hailed in the media. Dunia Araya and Alexandra Quiros were dressed in white for this wedding which took place in San Isidro de Heredia, a town located 14 kilometres north-west of San José, in front of a notary public with the face covered by a mask of protection against the coronavirus.
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The Costa Rica thus became the eighth country in the american continent after Canada, the United States, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador to legalize gay marriage. It is also the first country to do so in central America and the 29th in the world. Lack of celebrations, the public television and the social networks have aired a special program with historical reminders of the fight against discrimination and sexual messages of personalities from around the world gathered at the initiative of the campaign Sí Acepto Costa Rica.
“A social transformation”
“This change causes a transformation of social and cultural significant of which will allow thousands of people to legally marry,” commented president Carlos Alvarado. In August 2018, the supreme Court had declared unconstitutional the prohibition of marriage between partners of the same sex contained in the family Code.
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The Court had given to Parliament, which includes many evangelical christian conservatives, 18 months to change the law and expected that the prohibition would otherwise automatically at the end of this period, which has been the case. His judgment intervened seven months after a court decision affecting the whole continent. On January 9, 2018, the inter-american Court of human rights (Court), from the Organization of american States (OAS), had urged the countries of the region to amend their legislation to recognize marriage between same-sex couples, marking a major evolution in Latin America.
” Congratulations ! “
” We look forward with you : congratulations to all those who have worked so hard to make this happen ! “, has tweeted the ILGA (International lesbian and gay association) which advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex. It is ” an extraordinary moment of celebration “, has tweeted before midnight Victor Madrigal-Borloz, independent expert of the Council of human rights of the united Nations for the protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation. He expressed his ” gratitude to the work of so many activists “, evoking the memory of ” all those who have lived without seeing this moment.”
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dozens of celebrities have expressed during the special program in which were recalled the persecutions suffered by the LGBTI community in the 1980s. Ana Vega, the owner of The Avispa, bar disco gay history of San Jose, has as well mentioned the raids police in his establishment. “Congratulations to Costa Rica, the eyes of the world are turned to you,” said the u.s. attorney Evan Wolfson, founder in 2003 of the organization Freedom to Marry.
An enthusiasm not shared by the mp and evangelical Nidia Cespedes, who has condemned the legalization of gay marriage, ” sad day for the family, traditional costa rican “. “The entry into force of the marriage for all has dealt a blow to the soul of generations of costa ricans who have cemented the foundations of a great country attached to the family and the life “, it advised in a video posted on social networks. The deputies evangelicals have repeatedly tried to prevent the legalization, but failed to gather necessary support in Parliament. The unicameral Parliament of Costa Rica has, since the elections in February 2018, 14 elected representatives of the evangelical party on 57.
