Colombia’s Constitutional Court Wednesday granted equal civil, political, social and economic rights to gay couples.
The high court ordered complete equality in criminal and civil court cases and disciplinary investigations.
The latest ruling means that the gay partner can claim pension from the military if his or her same sex partner dies and are allowed to refuse to testify against their partner in a criminal investigation. Until now these rights were reserved for straight couples only.
Furthermore, members of the LGBT community are allowed to claim alimony payments after a separation from their partner.
Representatives of the gay community in Colombia responded positively to the ruling, calling the ruling “historic”. Marcela Sanchez Buitrago, director of gay rights group Colombia Diversa, the struggle for human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples benefit soiety as a whole.
