Civil unions in Uruguay

Legal recognition of same-sex relationships
Marriage
Argentina Belgium Canada Iceland Netherlands Norway Portugal South Africa Spain Sweden
Performed in some jurisdictions
Mexico: Mexico City United States: CT, DC, IA, MA, NH, NY, VT, Coquille, Suquamish
Recognized, not performed
Aruba (Netherlands only) Curaçao (Netherlands only) Israel Mexico: all states (Mexico City only) Sint Maarten (Netherlands only) United States: CA (conditional), MD
Civil unions and registered partnerships
Andorra Austria Brazil Colombia Czech Republic Denmark Ecuador Finland France - New Caledonia - Wallis and Futuna Germany Greenland Hungary Ireland Isle of Man Liechtenstein Luxembourg New Zealand Slovenia Switzerland United Kingdom Uruguay
Performed in some jurisdictions
Australia: ACT, NSW, TAS, VIC Mexico: COA United States: CA, CO, DE, HI, IL, ME, NJ, NV, OR, RI, WA, WI
Unregistered cohabitation
Australia Croatia Israel
Recognized in some jurisdictions
United States: MD
See also
Same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage legislation Timeline of same-sex marriage Recognition of same-sex unions in Europe Marriage privatization Civil union Domestic partnership Listings by country
LGBT portal
v · d · e

South America

  Same-sex marriage

  Other type of partnership

  Unrecognized or unknown

  No recognition, issue under consideration

  No recognition, all types of partnerships officially banned

  Same-sex sexual activity illegal

On January 1, 2008, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to have a national civil union law, titled Ley de Unión Concubinaria.^[1]

The bill for legalization, proposed by Senator Margarita Percovich of the Broad Front, was passed in Chamber of Deputies on 29 November 2007 after having been passed in a similar form in the Senate in 2006.^[2][3][4][5] The bill was passed by both chambers in the same form on December 19^[6][7] and signed into law by president Tabaré Vázquez on December 27.^[8][9] It came into effect on 1 January 2008.^[10]

Following the approval of a bill both same-sex and opposite-sex couples are allowed to enter into a civil union (unión concubinaria) after they live together for at least five years, and will be entitled to most of the benefits that married couples are afforded, including social security entitlements, inheritance rights and joint ownership of goods and property.^[11]

A government-backed bill allowing same-sex couples to adopt children was discussed in the national parliament in the spring of 2008. The bill has been approved by both the Senate and the House of Deputies. Thus, same-sex couples can jointly adopt in Uruguay, a first for South America.^{[12][13][14][15][16]}

Same-sex marriage

On May 25, 2009 Senator Percovich said if Broad Front won the national elections in October 2009 it would introduce a same-sex marriage bill.^[17][18] In October the Broad Front won an absolute majority in both chambers and José Mujica, the Broad Front presidential candidate, won the presidential election on November 29, 2009. In July 2010 legislators of the ruling party Broad Front announced they're planning to submit the bill that would allow same-sex marriage.^[19][20][21] On July 25, 2010, former president Julio María Sanguinetti of the Colorado Party declared his support for legalization of same-sex marriage. Other former president and incumbent senator Luis Alberto Lacalle of the National Party said that he is opposed.^[22][23]

In April 2011, Sebastián Sabini, a legislator of the Movement of Popular Participation, one of the parties consisting the Broad Front, presented the bill allowing same-sex couples to marry.^[24][25][26] The bill was formally submitted to the parliament on September 6, 2011.^[27]

See also

• LGBT rights in Uruguay

References

1. ^ (Spanish) Ley Nş 18.246 UNIÓN CONCUBINARIA
2. ^ Legal recognition for gay couples in Uruguay
3. ^ (German) Uruguay will Homo-Ehe einführen
4. ^ Uruguay set to legalize gay civil unions
5. ^ Uruguay to Legalize Same-Sex Civil Unions
6. ^ Uruguay approves gay civil unions
7. ^ Uruguay becomes latest country to legalise civil unions
8. ^ Uruguay's President grants legal rights for gay couples
9. ^ Uruguayan president signs law legalizing civil unions for gay couples
10. ^ Uruguay approves gay civil unions
11. ^ (Spanish) Preguntas frecuentes sobre Unión Concubinaria
12. ^ Bill to legalise gay adoption moves forward in Uruguay
13. ^ Uruguay nears same-sex adoption law
14. ^ Uruguay allows same sex adoption
15. ^ Uruguay allows same-sex adoption
16. ^ Uruguay will allow gay adoption, a first for Latin America
17. ^ Uruguayan Socialists Prepare "Homosexual Marriage" Legislation
18. ^ (Spanish) Ahora Uruguay va por el matrimonio gay
19. ^ (Spanish) Frente promoverá ley para habilitar el matrimonio gay
20. ^ (Spanish) Socialistas quieren debate sobre matrimonio gay
21. ^ Argentine Neighbors Uruguay, Paraguay To Debate Gay Marriage
22. ^ (Spanish) Matrimonio gay en Uruguay ¿sí o no?
23. ^ (Spanish) Ex presidentes de Uruguay disienten sobre el matrimonio gay
24. ^ Uruguay: Parliament considers bill to allow gay marriage
25. ^ (Spanish) Uruguay: el Frente Amplio impulsa el matrimonio igualitario
26. ^ (Spanish) Uruguay podría aprobar el matrimonio gay
27. ^ (Spanish) Asuntos del Parlamento

External links

• Uruguay Sees First Civil Union
• Gay couple celebrate Uruguay's second civil union
• Out In Uruguay