Gay marriage latin america

Laws governing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rights are complex and diverse in the Americas, and acceptance of LGBTQ persons varies widely. Same-sex marriages are currently legal in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, United States and Uruguay. Free unions that are equivalent to marriage have begun to be recognized in Bolivia. 1 Outside of the Caribbean, the majority of countries in the region have decriminalized same-sex sexual acts between consenting adults. Since , eight countries have approved laws prohibiting discrimination based upon sexual orientation. 2 Latin America has also made impressive progress on marriage equality. In , Argentina became the first country in the region to approve same-sex marriage; 20, same-sex Argentine couples have since married. In , neighboring Brazil and Uruguay followed suit, and later Colombia (), Ecuador () and Costa Rica (). 3 As of , same-sex marriage in Latin America is still considered illegal or not recognized in the majority of countries. Nonetheless, since , many countries have legalized these types of unions. 4 Figure 5. The Impact of Education on Support for Same-Sex Marriage in Latin America and the Caribbean, The data reconfirm that citizens in Latin America and Caribbean, on average, express relatively low levels of support for same-sex marriage. But there is also significant cross-national variation. 5 A cocktail of social and political factors accounts for this surge of gay rights in what historically has been one of the most homophobic areas of the globe. This includes the growing secularization of the Latin American public—a trend made possible by the fading of Catholicism. 6 - Argentina becomes the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, five years after Canada. 7 Since the first same-sex marriages were legally recognized in the Netherlands in , nearly 40 other jurisdictions — mostly in Europe and the Americas — have enacted laws allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. This year, Thailand and Liechtenstein join the list. 8 Latin America has the highest rates of violence against the LGBT community But it also has some of the most progressive laws for LGBT equality and protection Same-sex marriage is legal in. 9 Supporters of the legalisation of gay marriage celebrate in the streets in Argentina. Argentina has become the first country in Latin America to legalise gay marriage after the Senate voted in favour. 10 . 11