Gay marriage south america

Laws governing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rights are complex and diverse in the Americas, and acceptance of LGBTQ persons varies widely. Same-sex marriages are currently legal in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, United States and Uruguay. Free unions that are equivalent to marriage have begun to be recognized in Bolivia. Since the first same-sex marriages were legally recognized in the Netherlands in , nearly 40 other jurisdictions — mostly in Europe and the Americas — have enacted laws allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. This year, Thailand and Liechtenstein join the list. Use the interactive table below to sort the places allowing same-sex marriages by name, region and the year legal same-sex marriage took effect.

Joining South Africa, Canada and seven European countries, Argentina has now extended the full rights of marriage to gays and lesbians nationwide. The law, signed by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner on July 21, , means that civil registries can now process marriage licenses for gay couples with the first ceremony set for August 13 in Buenos Aires. But gay marriage is also the. A cocktail of social and political factors accounts for this surge of gay rights in what historically has been one of the most homophobic areas of the globe. This includes the growing secularization of the Latin American public—a trend made possible by the fading of Catholicism. In addition, the region has seen the advent of gay-friendly national governments in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, and municipal governments in São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Bogotá.

Latin America has also made impressive progress on marriage equality. In , Argentina became the first country in the region to approve same-sex marriage; 20, same-sex Argentine couples have since married. In , neighboring Brazil and Uruguay followed suit, and later Colombia (), Ecuador () and Costa Rica (). A growing number of governments around the world are considering whether to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages. So far, more than two dozen countries have enacted national laws allowing gays and lesbians to marry, mostly in Europe and the Americas. In Mexico, some jurisdictions allow same-sex couples to wed, while others do not.

Latin America has the highest rates of violence against the LGBT community, but it also has some of the most progressive laws for LGBT equality and protection. Outside of the Caribbean, the majority of countries in the region have decriminalized same-sex sexual acts between consenting adults. Since , eight countries have approved laws prohibiting discrimination based upon sexual orientation. Latin America has also made impressive progress on marriage equality.