Yay for gays

Costa Rica’s Ombudsman’s Office launched its latest human rights campaign Wednesday in support of LGBT people. The only thing missing was LGBT people.

A recent ruling by a judge in Goicoechea to recognize the first same-sex common-law marriage in Costa Rica’s history was just in time for a Father's Day commercial that prominently shows a gay couple.

Along with being the first legal recognition of a same-sex relationship in Central America, the decision could set an example for judges elsewhere in the country to recognize gay relationships and even adoption. But both supporters and opponents of the ruling expect a forthcoming legal battle.

Ireland on Saturday became the first country in the world to approve gay marriage by referendum with an overwhelming 62 percent "Yes" vote, further denting the once all-powerful Irish Catholic Church.

Final opinion polls suggested the "Yes" camp was heading for victory, but campaigners for change warned against complacency, wary of a large block of shy "No" voters.

An Argentine toddler is the first in that country to legally have two mommies and a daddy. Antonio's lesbian mothers, Susana Guichal and Valeria Gaete, and sperm-donor father, Hernan Melazzi, are all named on the child's birth certificate.

Vice President Ana Helena Chacón announced an executive order that would punish public workers for discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Besides possible disciplinary action, Chacón said that government institutions must recognize same-sex couples in their definition of family members when requesting time off work if their same-sex partner is seriously ill or dying.

HAVANA, Cuba – Cuban President Raúl Castro's daughter Mariela, a lawmaker and gay-rights activist, said Tuesday her organization would hold symbolic gay weddings this weekend in a call for equal rights.

Costa Rica’s Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, quietly upheld a decision recognizing the rights of gay and lesbian couples last week. The decision, announced on April 30, ruled that the Costa Rican Doctors and Surgeons Association discriminated against gay and lesbian members by refusing to let them sponsor their same-sex partners for membership at the association’s recreational facilities.

Marco Castillo, president of the LGBT advocacy group Diversity Movement, said the bills would be a step forward for LGBT rights in Costa Rica, even if full marriage was not on the table.