Why Victoria Villarruel's statements about same-sex marriage are misleading
Javier Milei's running mate said that same-sex marriage was already "guaranteed through civil unions." This information is deliberately false.
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In the midst of the election campaign, Victoria Villarruel, national deputy and running mate of Javier Milei (Libertad Avanza), gave an interview to Luis Novaresio on LN+ where, among other things, she spread misinformation about the equal marriage law, in force in Argentina since 2010.
The vice-presidential candidate, a militant denier of state terrorism in Argentina , said that same-sex marriage was already “guaranteed through civil unions.” This information is deliberately false.
Civil unions do not have the same scope
Civil union is a type of union that, while it has legal scope – with people who live together for at least two years – does not have federal scope nor does it contemplate the same amount of rights as marriage.
“What Villarruel says is false for several reasons. First, because in Argentina there was no civil union at the national level. There was a civil union in certain localities, in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, which of course did not guarantee the same rights as the rights guaranteed by marriage today. For example, the possibility of joint adoption and inheritance matters were not included. These were very limited rights, and of course, there was no recognition of the procreative intent that came with marriage equality,” Ricardo Vallarino, a member of the organization 100% Diversity and Rights, explained to Presentes.
Marriage and religion, separate matters
At another point, Villarruel says that marriage—or the term "marriage"—has a religious connotation, as if that diminishes its value. This is also false. "The marriage being discussed was civil marriage. And it had been civil since the 19th century. In the discussion, the fact that the law for same-sex couples had the same name was precisely about ensuring equal status. It meant that there should be absolutely no differentiation between the rights that a heterosexual couple could access and those of a gay or lesbian couple, regardless of their gender identity. The congresswoman is echoing arguments that were heard long ago when the law was being debated, and those arguments were dismantled and refuted at the time," Vallarino adds.
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