Costa Rica becomes first Central American nation to legalise marriage equality
LGBTQ people will be able to say 'I do' in Costa Rica from later this month.
By Will Stroude
LGBTQ people in Costa Rica will finally be able to marry later this month, officials have annouced.
The victory for LGBTQ couples in the Central American nation comes after Costa Rica’s supreme court ruled in November 2018 that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional and must be remove within 18 months.
The news makes Costa Rica the first Central American country to legalise nationwide marriage equality.
Luis Guillermo Chinchilla, senior civil officer of the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE), confirmed that the country’s Civil Registry will beging processing same-sex marriages from 26 May, Q Costa Rica reports.
“The Civil Registry has made significant efforts in adjusting all the computer systems in civil registry matters, with the purpose of managing these registrations in a timely and expeditious manner, always within the framework of suitable and effective registry security as usual by our institution,” Chinchilla said.
President Carlos Alvarado Quesada, who came to power in 2018 and champtioned marriage equality, had welcomed the supreme courts’ ruling that year.
“Our commitment to full equality of rights remains intact”, he said at the time.
“We will continue to boost actions that guarantee no person will face discrimination for their sexual orientation or gender identity.”