Conservatives launch ‘shameful’ last-ditch bid to block same-sex marriage days before it becomes a reality in Costa Rica
A Pride parade in Costa Rica (Arnoldo Robert/Getty)
It is almost two years since Costa Rica’s Supreme Court voted to legalise same-sex marriage, but conservative lawmakers are still trying to scupper the process.
Same-sex marriage is due to come to the Central American country on May 26, but some lawmakers are putting up roadblocks to try to stop it from happening.
On Tuesday (May 12), more than 20 lawmakers in Costa Rica tried to introduce a motion that would delay same-sex marriage for another 18 months.
They claimed that they did not have enough time to review the court’s August 2018 ruling and argued that other issues, such as the coronavirus pandemic, had gotten in the way.
Conservative lawmakers are trying to stop same-sex marriage for another 18 months in Costa Rica.
LGBT+ rights activists argue that the court has already made its ruling, and kicking same-sex marriage down the road will benefit nobody.
“There are many other issues that we as a country need to resolve, especially in the face of the emergency we are confronting due to the global pandemic,” Luis Salazar, presidential commissioner for LGBTI population affairs told Reuters.
He insisted that the motion is a “waste of time” and said the issue has already been settled.
Conservative lawmakers would need 38 votes to bring their motion forward, meaning it is unlikely to gain traction.
Same-sex marriage will likely go ahead, despite attempts to stop it.
Enrique Sanchez, the first openly gay congressman in the country, insisted that motion will likely not gain a majority, but said it is a “shameful spectacle”.
“It gives me peace of mind that this will possibly die from tomorrow, and there will be no going back,” he said.
Despite attempts from conservative politicians, same-sex marriage looks set to go ahead from the end of this month in Costa Rica.
Official Luis Guillermo Chinchilla told Q Costa Rica that everything had been prepared, and said: “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.”
