Costa Rica - Gays will 'fight to the end' to legalize unions

The gay community of Costa Rica said today that he will fight "until the end" for the legalization of civil unions or marriage, through actions that include bills, applications for marriage and a possible application to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR .)

"We want to go forward and we will exhaust all means necessary," he told Efe Abelardo Araya, who chairs the Diversity Movement, an organization of gays, lesbians and transsexuals in Costa Rica.

As part of these actions, on 16 May two gay couples appeared before a family court in San Jose applications to marry, even though the country is illegal marriage other than between a man and a woman.

In one pair, made by Antonio Rodriguez, 34, and Eliezer Bermudez, 23, the court rejected her request on Monday, while the other, made by Lorenzo Serrano, 27, and Alberto Gonzalez, 23 waits for a response.

Abelardo Araya explained that, on behalf of Rodriguez and Bermudez, today appealed the court's decision, he states that he has not taken into account "international law" on human rights.

According to the activist, there are international treaties ratified by Costa Rica to guarantee rights to the gay community, as is the "Ibero-American Convention on the Rights of Young People", which in Article 5 prohibits sexual orientation discrimination.

"Our proposal is that Costa Rica breaks with the practice of being restricting citizens' rights to different features. It is human rights and therefore we will do everything appropriate to fight to the end," said Araya.

Other actions that promoted the homosexual community in Costa Rica are two bills that are stalled for a couple of years in the Legislature that seek to legalize civil unions between same sex.

These projects seek to guarantee civil rights to homosexual couples as to inherit the partner, joint access to loans, pensions and social security, among others.

According to Araya, these projects will take "new momentum" this year with the deputy of the opposition Citizens Action Party Carmen Munoz, who heads the legislative commission on Human Rights.

The Catholic Church has announced its strong opposition to these initiatives and even promoted a referendum on the issue last August was declared unconstitutional because it violated the human rights of a minority.

The activist said that among the legal scenarios include queries have been raised before the Constitutional Court and if there not efforts bear fruit, sue the State of Costa Rica before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

"That's the scenario that we intend to arrive after exhausting all domestic remedies," said Araya.

El Pais...

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