Costa Rica just took a huge step towards gay marriage
The President of Costa Rica has introduced a bill which would legalise same-sex common law marriages.
The bill, 18.483, would protect same-sex cohabiting couples, which meet the defintion of a “stable” relationship.
Under the bill, such relationships are defined as a couple having lived together for over three years.
It specifies that couples are protected irrespective of their “sex, identity, sexual orientation or choice”.
If gay or lesbian couples are together for more than three years, they will be able to meet with a lawyer or appear before a civi judge to codify their relationship.
The bill, brought forward on Wednesday, is the second time the administration has attempted to propose such a change.
A bill was to be presented in the Assembly on Tuesday, but the government had to make a change, realising that it had expired almost a year before.
President Luis Guillermo Solís, on presenting the bill, said his government was committed to equality and human rights for all.
