Argentina senate set to take up gay marriage

This week, Argentina´s Senate is scheduled to decide on whether to legalize same sex marriage. The lower chamber of government approved a bill in May and the president has vowed to sign it if passed by the senate. The bill´s proponents have waged a long-campaign for same-sex marriage, winning support from a wide spectrum of groups. But in a largely Catholic society, there`s still strong opposition. FSRN's Marcos Federman has more:

TRANSCRIPT:

Both sides of the same-sex marriage debate are using a key issue --adoption-- in their campaigns. If approved, the new law will allow gay couples to adopt children.

Evangelicals and members of the Catholic Church have joined several conservative politicians in opposing the bill.

Cynthia Hotton is a congress member from the political party Values For My Country:

CYNTHIA HOTTON: We do not agree because it includes adoption. And really we think that adoption is something that is for the child. And a child needs a father and a mother. So we are not for this proposition that is marriage between people from the same sex.

According to  UNICEF, there are more than 600,000 orphans in Argentina.

Children´s advocates say the law will help in finding these children homes. Currently, only single gays can legally adopt children, but gay couples can´t.

Congresswoman Vilma Ibarra is one of the authors of the same-sex marriage bill. She addressed the  adoption issue at a rally on July 5:

VILMA IBARRA: I want to ask those who oppose this law not to take hostage children that can be adopted. With the existing laws, single gays and heterosexuals have the same right to adopt. The law makes no distinction. We want to repair the rights of those children that were violated because of discrimination based on the sexual orientation of their parents.

Although some polls show an estimated 81 percent of Argentines support equal rights for gays, opponents of the same-sex marriage bill want the issue to be decided through a plebiscite.

The growing support for equal rights is the result of a broad social movement started by the Federation of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Trans. They united with dozens of NGOs, social movements, university organizations, and political parties, and connected gay rights to human rights.

Luciana Kerner is a member of 678, an NGO created to promote media democratization, that joined the alliance of social organizations fighting for same-sex marriage.

LUCIANA KERNER: Human rights include sexual-orientation rights. We see the big picture, and support the struggle for social inclusion. A better quality of life involves economic, cultural and social aspects. They are not isolated at all. People are starting to get involved again, debating and getting into politics.Political activism was a bad word in the cursed neo-liberal '90s. Now we are beginning to understand  that we are not isolated. In this particular case, you should care for their rights even if you are not a homosexual or a lesbian. We understand that struggles are not divided.

After regular demonstrations in front of the Parliament building and methodically meeting every congress member, the gay movement managed to introduce the same-sex marriage issue in the parliamentary agenda.

Since January, a growing number of people have turned out for rallies, art festivals, and concerts in support of the same-sex marriage bill. Another massive rally will take place in front of the Parliament on July 14, the same day senators are expected to vote.

Marcos Federman, FSRN, Argentina

Photo: Wedding cake figurines

Photo credit: laverrue