Central America's first same-sex civil union recognised in Costa Rica court
Central America's first same-sex civil union recognised in Costa Rica court
Regional court’s decision, which does not extend to other couples, faces opposition from Catholic Church and conservative lawmakers
Reuters
Wednesday 3 June 2015 16.10 EDT
A regional Costa Rican court has recognised Central America’s first same-sex civil union, despite opposition from the Catholic Church and conservative politicians, local media reported on Wednesday.
The decision follows a same-sex couple’s two-year legal battle seeking the right to a state welfare credit, but it does not extend to other gay couples, whose cases will be decided individually, a lawyer said, as newspaper La Nacion reported.
Conservative lawmakers told La Nacion they were evaluating whether the decision contravenes family law, potentially leaving it open to appeal to a higher court.
“I didn’t think it was going to happen now since it was such a long process. It took us by surprise and it’s a great victory ... not just for us but for the whole country,” one of the couple, Cristian Zamora, was quoted as saying by the CRhoy news website.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/03/central-america-first-same-sex-civil-union-costa-rica-court
