{"id":644779,"date":"2019-06-13T10:42:25","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T10:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"
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Ja"},"modified":"2019-06-13T10:42:25","modified_gmt":"2019-06-13T10:42:25","slug":"ecuadors-highest-court-approves-same-sex-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/06\/13\/ecuadors-highest-court-approves-same-sex-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecuador\u2019s highest court approves same-sex marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jason Reed\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Ecuador\u2019s highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic and conservative South American country.<\/p>\n

LGBT and human rights activists erupted in celebration in Quito and the port city of Guayaquil, waving the rainbow flags that symbolize the gay rights movement.<\/p>\n

The Constitutional Court said same-sex marriage had been approved in a five-to-four vote of its nine judges in a closed-door hearing.<\/p>\n

Ecuador, where the church is very influential, thus joins Argentina, Brazil and Colombia in recognizing same-sex marriage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means that Ecuador is more egalitarian,\u201d said lawyer Christian Paula of the Patka Foundation, which provides legal advice for around 10 same-sex couples seeking to marry in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n

The four dissenting judges argued that in order to recognize same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly.<\/p>\n

Gustavo Medina, a former Supreme Court president, told AFP that Ecuadoran authorities were obliged to abide by decisions of the Constitutional Court, which were \u201cbinding and mandatory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ecuador has recognized de facto civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015.<\/p>\n

The Constitutional Court approved same-sex marriage as it ruled on lawsuits by two pairs of men who wanted to wed.<\/p>\n

The men in one of those couples are named Efrain Soria and Javier Benalcazar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to say hello to Javier, who is in Guayaquil. Honey, I love you,\u201d Soria told reporters in the capital Quito.<\/p>\n

He urged other gays to stop hiding and \u201cenjoy the happiness that comes from being equal, like anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 \u2018A big yes\u2019 \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ecuador\u2019s current constitution defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman.<\/p>\n

The charter, ratified in 2008, also bars same-sex couples from adopting children.<\/p>\n

But the judges that approved same-sex marriage said they based their decision on the idea that all people are equal. They also said they sought to counter any kind of discrimination.<\/p>\n

In Foch Plaza in downtown Quito, two women who have been fighting since 2013 for the right to marry staged a symbolic wedding right after the court decision was announced.<\/p>\n

Pamela Troya and Gabriela Correa sat formally in chairs for the ceremony and when Troya was asked the big question, she said: \u201cToday, I say yes. A big yes. A giant yes. I want to be your wife.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others in the crowd shouted in approval, hugged and kissed.<\/p>\n

Troya later told reporters the fight for same-sex marriage in Ecuador had been long and hard, and at times she thought it was a lost cause.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, today is a historic day for Ecuador because it is a little fairer and egalitarian,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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