In A Historic Moment, Bolivia Has Recorded Its First Ever Same-Sex Marriage
LGBTQ rights group IGUAL Bolivia, which helped the couple with the lawsuit, said the case "opens a door of hope for many other couples and diverse families.”
In a historic moment, Bolivia has recorded its first ever same-sex marriage.
Under Bolivia's constitution, marriage can only happen between a woman and a man.
But since 2020, same-sex couples have been recognized through “free union,” a legal partnership status similar to marriage, after a same-sex couple sued the government for not letting them register their relationship in 2018.
The couple, David Aruquipa and Guido Montaño, eventually won their case and became the first same-sex couple to have their "free union" officially registered in Bolivia in December 2020.
However, LGBTQ rights groups in Bolivia have said free unions do not carry the same legal or social recognition as marriage.
In October 2022, another same-sex couple, Fabiana Banzer and Scarlett Rocha, applied to have a full civil marriage recognized, but their application was rejected.
The couple then decided to challenge that decision in court.
After three years and 10 months, they finally won, and on Friday, Aug. 7, the couple officially registered their marriage in Santa Cruz, Bolivia's most populous city, according to Pink News.
LGBTQ rights group IGUAL Bolivia, which helped the couple with the lawsuit, said the case "opens a door of hope for many other couples and diverse families.”
Despite the historic milestone, Bolivia still has not changed its definition of marriage, and the court only authorized Banzer and Rocha’s marriage for their individual case, not through creating new legislation.
Bolivia remains one of several South American countries, along with Peru, Paraguay and Venezuela, that still do not recognize same-sex marriage.
More On LGBTQ Rights
Cherry Mohamed
Kassy Cho
Ikran Dahir
