Ecuador is the latest South American country to consider marriage equality; Bolivia may follow

18 Aug 2010

A bill to allow civil marriage will be introduced in Ecuador's National Assembly on Thursday, according to the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio.

In 2008, Ecuador adopted a new constitution that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Bolivia has a similar provision in its new constitution called "The Law Against Racism and All Types of Discrimination." The LGBT rights group Equidad participated in a presentation and analysis of the Bolivian provision chaired by a member of the National Assembly. Recommendations will be made this week, and they'll presumably include a marriage equality law.

This summer, South America has been a hotbed of equality legislation. Marriage equality passed in Argentina. An upgrade from civil unions in Uruguay, which have been legal for several years, is being debated. Civil union bills also have been introduced in Chile and Peru.

Chilean Senator Fulvio Rossi, who introduced the bill there, doesn't expect it to pass. El Mercurio doesn't predict what the chances are for passage of the bill in Ecuador.

Article taken from www.dallasvoice.com