Costa Rica Legalizes Marriage Equality

Marriage equality is now the law of the land in Costa Rica.

In a landmark ruling on Tuesday, Costa Rica became the first country in Central America to legalize same-sex marriage.

“Today we celebrate liberty, equality, and our democratic institutions,” Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada wrote on Twitter.

Legalizing marriage equality was one of Quesada’s campaign promises before he took office in May 2018.

“May empathy and love be the compass that guide us forward and allow us to move forward and build a country that has room for everyone,” he said.

In August 2018, Costa Rica’s constitutional court ruled that the previous ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, giving parliament 18 months to overturn the ban or have the provision automatically nullified.

Earlier this month, legislators attempted to delay the ruling by another eight months, but their measure failed, and at midnight on Tuesday, the ban was lifted.

LGBTQ+ couples celebrated the ruling by getting married.

Daritza Araya Arguedas and Alexandra Quirós Castillo became the first same-sex couple to wed in the nation. Their wedding was broadcast live on Facebook.

“Costa Rica’s LGBTQ community has worked tirelessly for years to make today a reality,” Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Alphonso David said in a statement to CNN.

“This victory is theirs, and it inspires the entire global LGBTQ community to continue fighting to move equality forward.”