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.
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.
Considering that a group of care workers did not even believe that LGBTI elderly people exist, among other factors, the survey determined that Costa Rica did not have an adequate supply of services and resources for LGBTI senior citizens.
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.
A recent survey of National Police officers by the Center for Research and Promotion of Human Rights in Central America found that 25 percent believed that LGBT people had fewer rights under the law than heterosexuals.
The board of directors of Costa Rica’s Social Security System, or Caja, has approved a series of amendments to the public health care agency’s regulations that, among other benefits, will grant same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples in public health care services as soon as next month.
