Ecuador Court Votes in Favor of Same-Sex Marriage

Ecuador’s highest court has voted in favor of same-sex marriage!

The country’s Constitutional Court voted five-four in favor of equality in response to lawsuits filed by two same-sex couples who wanted to get married. The members of the court who voted against wanted the debate to happen in the National Assembly rather than over their court decision.

Ecuador’s current constitution defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, and has only allowed for civil unions between same-sex couples since 2014.

However, this ruling is now officially binding, and Congress has been instructed to pass legislation that reflects the decision and provides marriage equality to LGBTQ citizens in Ecuador.

This battle follows a 2018 decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, a human rights court that presides over a number of Latin American countries, in support of same-sex marriage. That decision paved the way for both the lawsuits brought forward by couples looking to get married as well as the decision by the Constitutional Court on Wednesday.

“It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian,” Christian Paula, a lawyer from the Patka Foundation said of the ruling. “It recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination.”

Though this is a big step forward for gay rights in Ecuador, the current constitution doesn’t allow for same-sex adoption, and it’s unknown yet whether that or any additional LGBTQ rights will also be moved forward when they update the laws to provide for same-sex marriage.