A Colombian attorney has demanded the removal of a senator and a house representative arguing that they are ineligible for holding positions in office while also in a relationship, reported newspaper El Espectador Tuesday.
Senator Claudia Lopez and House Representative Angelica Lozano are in a much publicized gay relationship while both also representing the Green Alliance party in Congress.
| “We put all our support behind our congress members, they do an exemplary job and it’s unfortunate that people want to attack them for their work.” |
The centrist party has dismissed the attack as unfounded and possibly homophobic. Camilo Romero, co-chairman of the Greens, said it is not legally feasible because Lopez and Lozano are not married or cohabiting.
“We put all our support behind our congress members, they do an exemplary job and it’s unfortunate that people want to attack them for their work, this is hopefully not a homophobic attack and we believe that our congressmen can defend their status as a couple and show that they are not violating the law, ” Romero said.
Lozano told reporters that she feels she has nothing to worry about as her and Lopez are in a dating relationship which does not make them ineligible for parliamentary work.
According to the attorney Victor Velasquez, who in the past was a senator and is representing a group of Christian churches, it is not the sexual orientation that he is opposing but rather that the law does not allow both members of a relationship to work in the same elective public corporation; which in this case is the Congress.
“Two people who are married or cohabiting or are permanent partners are not eligible for the same corporation at the same date, or in the same party,” said the complainant.
The case is being supervised by judge Luis Rafael Vergara, who in the coming days will decide whether to pursue the case further.
MORE: First lesbian couple in Colombia high office comes ‘out of the cabinet’
Sources
- Por ser pareja, demandan elección de congresistas Claudia López y Angélica Lozano (El Espectador)
- Alianza Verde rechaza ataque homofóbico a Claudia López y Angélica Lozano (Caracol)
