Uruguay Legalizes Gay Marriage

3rd Country in Western Hemisphere to Approve Same-Sex Marriage

The bill, approved by the Lower House with 71 of the 92 lawmakers present, was voted on April 10, 2013.  Earlier in April, the Senate approved the legislation 23 to 8 votes. “The Marriage Equality Project” was already approved by majorities in both legislative houses, but Senators made changes that required a final vote by the deputies.  President Jose Mujica is expected to sign the bill into law within ten days.  By mid-July, same-sex couples should be able to marry.

We are living in a historic moment” – Federico Grana

Federico Grana, one of the leaders of the gay rights group Black Sheep Collective, and drafter of the bill, called the vote a “historic moment.”  “The country is settling its debts with a large number of citizens who for the simple fact of loving someone of the same sex have suffered bullying and harassment.”  Damian Diaz, a gay 25-year-old teacher remarked that this passage means full equality under the law.  “We’re definitely going to feel now that we live in a place where we’re recognized for who we are, where we get more respect and more acceptance.”

What “The Marriage Equality Project” Means

A largely Catholic country, Uruguay’s Roman Catholic Church asked lawmakers to vote their conscience and challenged the label of “marriage equality” as a false pretext, calling it an inconsistent assimilation that will only further weaken marriage, not justice.” The Catholic Church through the Uruguayan Episcopal Conference said lawmakers weren’t taking into account the legal consequences of the bill and how it might affect society’s views of family.

Under the new law, gay couples will be able to marry for the first time, with the same legal rights and responsibilities as married couples of the opposite sex. It has adopted a single set of rules in its marriage contracts for everyone, gay or straight, in which the words “husband and wife” will be replaced with a gender-neutral description of “contracting parties.”

The law permits all gay couples to have the ability to adopt or have children through in-vitro fertilization and can choose which parent’s last name comes first for the child’s.  It also updates divorce laws in Uruguay so that either spouse will be able to unilaterally request a divorce and get one.  The new law raises the minimum age for marriage to sixteen for both genders, from 12 years-old for girls and 14 for boys.

Uruguay, a small country with about 3.3 million people, is one of eleven countries that allows gay marriage:  the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Denmark and its neighbor, Argentina.  Uruguay has a reputation for its long history of progressive social legislation.  It was an early adopter of a minimum wage and labor laws that protect workers in the early 20th century.