Costa Rica became the latest addition to the list of nations that have legalized gay marriage after the country’s Supreme Court ruling nullified the ban on it. In 2018, the Court had deemed the ban to be “unconstitutional” and had given the parliament 18 months to enact a law that would legalize it. The parliament failed to act on this. As a result, the Supreme Court struck down the ban. The decision is a major victory for the LGBTQ people, local activists, legislators, human rights groups all around the country and the world.
The political will behind this decision is attributable to the incumbent President Carlos Alvarado, who had promised in his campaign to end the ban. Despite the subtle efforts of political conservatives to impede the progress of the ruling by another 18 months, the Supreme Court went ahead with its decision. Due to the pandemic, all marriages will be held online. However, given the discrimination meted out to same-sex couples in the region, the decision comes as a breath of relief for same-sex couples. They conjecture that it would lead to a shift from the traditional outlook on marriage and sexuality amongst citizens to the inclusivity of all people in society.
Costa Rica became the sixth nation in Latin America to take this step. Gay marriage is legal in 29 countries all around the world. Love is love!
