Uruguay allows homosexuals to join Armed Forces

Uruguay's President Tabaré Vázquez signed a document this week that allows homosexuals to join the Army, modifying the previous conditions, according to the President's sources.

The decree states that "sexual orientation would not be a basis for" rejection from the Armed Forces. The prior decree included several discriminatory statements, such as those that detailed that "homosexuality was considered among a variety of mental illnesses."

In 2008, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to regularize homosexual marriage, establishing rights for couples wishing to be married that had lived together for more than 5 years. In the same year, the Senate approved a project for a law that would allow people to change their name and their sex once they reached the age of 12, which led to a lot of opportunities for the gay community.

Buenos Aires Herald...