A gay couple's struggle to get married in Chile

On Tuesday, January 8, the Civil Registry refused to schedule a marriage appointment for Ramón Gómez and Gonzalo Velásquez, arguing that Chilean law does not permit same-sex marriage. They are calling for a demonstration on February 14 in Balmaceda Park to support same-sex marriage.

January 17, 2019

Ramón Gómez, a 43-year-old journalist, and Gonzalo Velásquez, a 37-year-old graphic designer, filed a legal appeal to be able to get married. They did so after the Civil Registry denied them an appointment, arguing that the law does not allow this type of union in Chile.

“With this lawsuit we seek equality, to adopt a child, and for our love and right to form a family to no longer be considered second-class by the State and society,” the couple said.

Ramón and Gonzalo have been together for 19 years. They are two of the five authors of the story “Nicolás Has Two Dads”.

the lawyer representing the couple for the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh) , explained that the legal action is based on Article 5 of the Constitution of the Republic, which establishes that Chile is obligated to respect international treaties. This includes the American Convention on Human Rights, which protects same-sex marriage.

[READ ALSO: #Chile Sexual orientation and gender identity will not be obstacles to adoption]

Arias emphasized that a Supreme Court ruling from last November is especially relevant, establishing that every resident of our country has the right to marry, as this is a human right. “If the Court of Appeals rules against our appeal, we will appeal to the Supreme Court,” he said.

Diego Ríos, spokesperson for MOVILH, pointed out that “while the November ruling refers to a heterosexual couple, we all understand that human rights are universal and that homosexual people are human beings. In that sense, along with Ramón and Gonzalo, we are simply seeking equality before the law and access to marriage. We have been fighting for this law for years and we will not stop. Therefore, on February 14th at 3:00 PM, we will demonstrate in favor of marriage equality in Balmaceda Park.” He added: “We call on all same-sex couples to symbolically marry that day.”

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