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In Latin America, Only Argentine
Leader Stands with Obama on Gay Marriage (La Informacion,
U.S.)
“Apart from the president
of Argentina, few Latin American presidents have spoken on the subject, and those
that have are adversaries of equal rights for homosexual couples."
Translated By Florizul
Acosta-Perez
May 10, 2012
United
States - La Informacion – Original Article (Spanish)
BOGOTA: President of Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is the only Latin American leader to openly
support gay marriage – an issue that raises passions and has the potential to
significantly add or subtract votes.
In 2010, a year before her reelection and almost two years
before U.S. President Barack Obama, President Fernández
pushed legislation in favor of gay marriage - a legal project that made
Argentina, on July 15, the first country in Latin America to do so. With the
law, passed on that day, Argentina became a "more egalitarian society,"
in the words of Fernández.
Apart from the president of Argentina, few Latin American
presidents have spoken on the subject, and those that have are adversaries of
equal rights for homosexual couples.
Today Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño
argued against the views of President Obama on promoting the legalization of
gay marriage.
"I reaffirm that marriage is a union between a man and
a woman," said Fortuño, president of the Nuevo Progresista Party, who like Obama, seeks to retain his position at the polls this November.
As a Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, Obama threw
his support behind civil unions between people of the same sex, but expressed
opposition to marriage. However, by the end of 2010, he said his position on
the subject was “evolving,” and finally yesterday, he declared himself in favor,
which analysts consider is a long shot before the next election.
Since Obama made the announcement of his change of mind, both
congratulations and criticism have been pouring in.
Among those who have received Obama’s declaration with joy
and gratitude is Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, who doesn’t hide his
homosexuality and described the president’s words as "historic."
Among those who have cried out to heaven is the cardinal of New
York, Timothy Dolan, who warned that Catholic bishops "will not remain silent.”
The Catholic Church, with its tremendous influence in Latin
America, is leading voice against gay marriage in the region.
In Argentina, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio
called the campaign the church’s 2010 campaign against that nation’s homosexual
marriage law a "war on God." It passed the Senate with 33 votes in
favor, 27 against, and 3 abstentions.
SEE ALSO ON THIS:
NU, The Netherlands:
Marriage in America: ‘Man, Woman and God’
Guardian, U.K.:
How Obama's Gay Marriage Move Changes Presidential Race
CenarioMT, Brazil:
Gay Marriage: 70
Years from Disease to
Presidential Blessing
The Zimbabwe Mail, Zimbabwe:
Obama's Gay Stance Called ‘Worst Form of Satanism’
La Informacion, U.S.:
In Latin America, Only Argentine Leader Stands with Obama
Liberation, France:
Mr. Obama and Gay Marriage: ‘Courage’
Mail & Guardian, South Africa:
South Africa: Pride, Vigilance, on Gay Rights
Globa & Mail, Canada:
From Obama, a Bid to Broaden Stream of American Life
Toronto Star, Canada:
Obama Tilts Scales Toward Compassion and Equity
Macleans, Canada:
Obama Passes the Leadership Test
Irish Times, Ireland
Mr. Obama's 'Brave and Welcome' Move
Irish Examiner, Ireland: Let's Be Honest About How We Live Our Lives
Independent, U.K.:
'Full Marks' to President Barack Obama
Independent, U.K.:
At last, Obama Asks U.S. to Open Door to Acceptance
Guardian, U.K.
Obama's Historic Affirmation of Gay Marriage
Economist, U.K.: Good for Obama; But Bad for Gay Marriage
Telegraph, U.K.: Import of U.S. Culture War Backfires on Cameron
In the United States, gay marriage is only recognized in a
few states. On Tuesday in North Carolina, an amendment to the state constitution was passed
expressly banning same-sex marriage.
Across the entire territory of Canada, gay marriage has been
recognized since 2005, and not even the conservative government of Stephen
Harper, who was elected Prime Minister in 2011, wants to change things.
Harper himself has said that "Canadians aren’t
interested in re-opening the debate,” and Attorney General Rob Nicholson said recently
that the government has intention of doing so.
Chile President Sebastián Piñera, a conservative, although he believes marriage
should be between a man and a woman, supported a law in parliament known as the Life Partner Agreement [Acuerdo de Vida en Pareja], which
legalized de facto unions, including those between people of the same sex.
"There is no single type of family; families come in
many forms and expressions ... All those families deserve respect, deserve
dignity, and deserve - and now have - the support of the state," President
Piñera said when he signed the bill into law in
August, 2011.
Mexico President Felipe Calderón, another
conservative, says that he respects the sexual preferences of each person, but
regarding the gay marriage, he refers to his nation’s constitution.
Posted by Worldmeets.US
"The Constitution of the Republic explicitly states
that marriage is between a man and a woman, and simply put, there is a legal
debate that must be decided by the courts; this has nothing to do with any
political intent or prejudice," he said.
Right now, gay marriage is only possible in the Mexico’s Federal
District, where it was legalized in 2010.
In Cuba, where homosexuality was persecuted and homosexuals
were put into internment camps in the sixties and early seventies, the National
Center of Sex Education (CENESEX), overseen by a
daughter President Rauk Castro, Mariela
Castro, fights for the respect of sexual diversity.
CENESEX has this far failed persuade
the Cuban Parliament to take up a bill amending the Family Code on issues like legal
union between homosexual couples.
CENESEX has failed so far to try their Cuban
Parliament bill to amend the Family Code with aspects such as the legal union
between gay couples.
In Peru, President Ollanta Humala promised during his recent campaign that he would guarantee
the human rights of people with different sexual orientations, but so far there
has been little progress in that direction.
When she was still was a presidential candidate, Brazilian President
Dilma Rousseff was in favor
of civil unions for people of the same sex – and for protecting their civil
rights. Now that she is president, she has announced that her government will
fight homophobia, but "will not allow any (public) agency to popularize sexual
options."
None of the presidents in Central America has spoken out in
favor or against gay marriage, except for Guatemala President Otto Pérez, who said while still a candidate last October that
he did not favor gay marriage on the grounds that “it isn’t natural."
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