Ecuador's highest court approves same-sex marriage
QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador's highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the South American country.
The Constitutional Court said same-sex marriage had been approved in a five-to-four vote of its nine judges in a closed hearing.
The conservative country joins a handful of other Latin American countries to recognize gay marriage.
"It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian, it is more just than yesterday, that it recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination," said lawyer Christian Paula of the Patka Foundation, which provides legal advice for around 10 same-sex couples seeking to marry in the country.
The four dissenting judges argued that in order to recognize same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly.
Gustavo Medina, a former Supreme Court president, told AFP that Ecuadoran authorities were obliged to abide by decisions of the Constitutional Court, which were "binding and mandatory."
Ecuador has recognized de-facto civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015.
Here are major updates on the legalization of same-sex marriage globally.
Hong Kong's top court will decide Tuesday whether to recognise same-sex marriages, rendering a verdict in one of the most consequential cases on the subject in the city's history.
Over the past decade, LGBTQ activists in the former British colony have won piecemeal victories in court, striking down discriminatory government policies on visas, taxes and housing benefits.
But the case brought by jailed pro-democracy activist Jimmy Sham -- set to be decided at 2:30 pm local time (0630 GMT) Tuesday -- will be the first time Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal has directly addressed the issue of same-sex marriage. — AFP
The Supreme Court of the Philippines junks the petition on same-sex marriage, citing the "lack of standing" of petitioner, lawyer Jesus Falcis who asked the court to declare unconstitutional provisions of the Family Code identifying marriage as a contract between a man and a woman.
The high court found Falcis to have violated principle of hierarchy of courts and failed to raise an "actual controversies."
"It is only through the existence of actual facts and real adversarial presentations that this Court can fully weigh the implications and consequences of its pronounces," read a press statement the Supreme Court's information office released.
Taiwan's first official same-sex weddings kick off in a landmark moment for LGBT rights in Asia, as government offices open their doors to welcome same-sex couples wanting to register as married.
Two couples — one male, one female — were the first to arrive at a government office in downtown Taipei, kissing and embracing before signing their marriage certificates, the culmination of the three-decade fight for equal rights.
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