Brazil becomes largest nation yet to legalize civil unions
| Rio de Janeiro
Rebuffing Latin America's machista stereotype, Brazil on Thursday legalized same-sex unions nationwide. The decision makes it the largest among a league of about 25 nations that recognizes civil unions for gay couples.
Brazil鈥檚 Supreme Court voted 10-0 to recognize the unions, which will allow gay couples here to share in each other's inheritances, pensions, and health plans, and a legal route to divide belongings after a separation.
Gay rights activists celebrated the move as an important milestone that could resonate regionally, since Brazil itself was influenced by the debate following Argentina鈥檚 2010 legalization of gay marriage, says Marinalva Santana, a spokeswoman for the Brazilian League of Lesbians.
鈥淭he movement has been very strong,鈥� says Ms. Santana, who is also a member of the National Council on LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) Rights. 鈥淭he society itself in Brazil despite being very religious ... has processed this debate in a very positive way, and the media has had a good role.鈥�
Civil unions are also legal in Colombia and Uruguay. Costa Rica and Venezuela recognize a lesser form of same-sex partnership registration, while regionally only Argentina and Mexico City allow gay marriage (the Mexico Supreme Court has ruled that these couples must be respected countrywide), , a gay and lesbian rights group.
The Roman Catholic Church, which remains influential here and around Latin America, opposes measures allowing same-sex unions. Brazil鈥檚 nearly 200 million population earns it the moniker of the 鈥渨orld鈥檚 largest Catholic nation,鈥� with at least 60,000 gay and lesbian couples among them, according to the country's 2010 census.
Brazil is moving beyond patriarchy, said Supreme Federal Tribunal Justice Ricardo Lewandowski after casting his vote. Nontraditional relationships are "emerging among us, beside the traditional patriarchal family,鈥� Mr. Lewandowski said.
Other judges cited the decision鈥檚 ability to reduce violence against gays and the Constitution鈥檚 strong statements on equality and against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Grupo Gay da Bahia said in a recent report that 260 gays were murdered in 2010 in Brazil, up 113 percent from five years ago, including recent high-profile cases that made headlines, according to .
Many religious leaders disapproved of the decision, but others expressed a measure of acceptance and satisfaction that the ruling stopped short of legalizing gay marriage, which is only allowed regionally in Argentina and Mexico City.
鈥淐ivil union is one thing, marriage is another,鈥� the Rio de Janeiro bishop Dom Edney Gouv锚a Mattoso told the Rio daily O Globo. 鈥淭his union can鈥檛 be called a marriage.鈥�
The archbishop of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta similarly told O Globo that the church has a stake in guaranteeing civil rights to all.
鈥淭he CNBB [National Conference of Brazilian Bishops], like all the church in Brazil and in the world, wants to preserve the rights of all, the well-being of all, the dignity of all. 鈥� These are financial issues, they鈥檙e working together, building together, but this is not a family.鈥�
Ms. Santana says that the task ahead now is for couples to take the decision and put it into practice. 鈥淐ertainly it's going to foster, give incentive for more couples to look for their rights.鈥�
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