Same-Sex Couples In Ecuador To Receive National Benefits
Same-Sex Couples In Ecuador To Receive National Benefits
by Alice Ollstein Posted on August 25, 2014 at 1:49 pm
Starting on the 15th of September, same-sex couples in Ecuador will be able to officially register their civil union and have it noted on their national ID cards. Though same-sex marriage remains illegal, the move brings with it a whole host of financial and legal benefits.
If there was any doubt about heterosexual or same-sex civil unions being put on national ID cards, there is none any more, President Rafael Correa said on the South American network Telesur. And if someone is still turned away by a government employee, that employee will be dismissed for denying constitutional rights.
The announcement came just days after Correa met with gay and trans rights leaders and received a report from them entitled Access to Justice and Human Rights for the LGBT community, which documented many cases of discrimination throughout the country that stemmed from the lack of legal recognition for same-sex couples.
One of the participants in that meeting, trans-feminist activist Diane Rodriguez with the organization X Silhouette, told ThinkProgress the new resolution is a huge step forward for the country.
More:
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2014/08/25/3475370/huge-step-forward-for-lgbt-rights-in-ecuador/