Part of the LGBTQ rights series |
LGBTQ portal |
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Brazil since 16 May 2013 in accordance with a decision from the National Justice Council,[1][2] ordering notaries of every state to license and perform same-sex marriages.[3][4] Brazil became the second country in South America to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, after Argentina, and the twelfth worldwide to do so.
Same-sex unions had already been legally recognized in Brazil in the form of stable unions in line with a ruling from the Supreme Federal Court of May 5, 2011. These unions are granted most of the rights of marriages, including adoption, welfare benefits, pension, inheritance tax, income tax, social security, health benefits, immigration, joint property ownership, hospital and prison visitation, IVF and surrogacy. The ruling was published on 12 May and took effect on 13 May 2011.[5][6]
On October 25, the Superior Court of Justice ruled that two women can legally marry. Differently from the U.S. Supreme Court's "stare decisis", the Superior Court decision would only reach the authors of the demand, but stood as a precedent that could be followed in similar cases. It is the highest court in Brazil to uphold a same-sex marriage. It overturned two lower courts' rulings against the women. The Court ruled that the Constitution guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry and that the current Civil Code does not prohibit the marriage of two people of the same sex.[7][8][9] This decisions paved the way for future legalization on same-sex matrimonial rights.
Before the nationwide legalisation in May 2013, the states of Alagoas,[10] Bahia,[10][11] Ceará, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso,[12] Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraíba, Paraná,[13][14] Piauí, Rondônia, Santa Catarina, São Paulo,[15][16] and Sergipe, as well as the Federal District and the city of Santa Rita do Sapucaí,[17][18] had already legalized same-sex marriages and several stable unions were converted into marriages by state judges.[19] In Rio de Janeiro, same-sex couples could also marry but only if local judges agreed with their request.[20]
On 14 May 2013, the National Justice Council legalized same-sex marriage in the entire country in a 14–1 vote, issuing a ruling ordering notaries nationwide to license and perform same-sex marriages and convert any existing stable union into a marriage if the couple so wishes.[1][2][21][22][23][24] Joaquim Barbosa, president of the Supreme Federal Court, said that notaries cannot continue to refuse to "licensing and performance of a civil marriage or the conversion of a stable union into a marriage between two people of the same sex".[3] The ruling was published on 15 May and took effect on 16 May 2013.[25][26]
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Paranalocal
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).athosgls
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)