Comments on: New Ecuador constitution includes gay rights guarantees

By: Morgan

Morgan — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:15:17 +0000

I hope my future partner and I wind up in any country that is scenicly beautiful, with national gay marriage and low on crime in general.

I no longer care what country I live in, there are countries far more advanced in different ways now than the USA.

Norway is a beautiful land and it passed gay marriage in 2008 which will go into effect in 2009.

By: Arthur Mabry

Arthur Mabry — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:50:28 +0000

don’t cry freedom, exercise your freedom! Me and my boyfriend are looking at beachfront property there now.

By: SteveMD2

SteveMD2 — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:42:47 +0000

It isn’t perfect, but it is great. The two issues are #1- to kick the stinking church out of politics, and show the people the hypocrisy and lies of an institution living in the past, whose only goal is power, all the rest is a lie. And 2nd – to give gay people equal legal rights as married people,which it appears is mostly accomplished now in Ecuador.

A third goal should be that the world end legal marriage, and replace it with “civil Unions”, including retroactivity for those already legally married. And all former laws related to marriage will now be for people in civil unions.

And then the churches can do what they want with ‘marriage’, which will have no legal, only a religious meaning, for those who still believe.

And mankind will be ever so more free!

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:33:14 +0000

Well said Tiger and Blacksteel – keep up the fight and your will to keep those steps going forward. It is indeed shameful that South America, considering it is mostly Catholic, is becoming a beacon for Gay Rights – Me and my partner of 27 years may end up in Ecuador – I gather the southwest is very beautiful any comments?
Take care may the force be with you, Robert

By: Add another country to South America’s gay-friendly list « News for Gay Travel Agents

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:38:03 +0000

[...] 30, 2008 · No Comments Nearly two-thirds of voters in Ecuador have voted to ratify a new constitution that guarantees gay rights, including civil unions with all the privileges of marriage. That means Americans cruisers might [...]

By: Carlo

Carlo — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:37:31 +0000

I completely agree with “BlackSteel.” Ecuador has proven that even with the strong and sometimes aggressive opposition from Catholic bishops to deny gay and lesbian Ecuadoreans their CIVIL rights, the citizens of this beautiful country stood up to them and showed them that the “tide” has most definitely changed. Ecuador is no longer subject to the whims of priests, bishops or popes who do nothing but preach hatred and discrimination instead of teaching people to love, respect and support one another. I was born and raised in a small town in southern Ecuador and have been living in Virginia for the last seven years. It’s ironic that in my adopted state, voters approved the most outrageous and homophobic law ever in recent history when, in November 2006, Virginia residents voted in favor of a law that will INVALIDATE any and all financial contracts between people of the same gender if such agreement was done with the intent to resemble heterosexual marriage! Give me a break! Now, my birth country of Ecuador has left Virginia and most of the United States in the dust by granting me and my fiance of eight years the right to be fully recognized under the law and to enjoy ALL the benefits afforded to heterosexual couples, even if the word “marriage” doesn’t appear on the document. We honestly don’t care about semantics. We care about having the same rights as everyone else and about having equal protections and benefits under the law. I love my adopted country, the United States, but I gotta be honest, today I’m feeling mighty proud to be Ecuadorean! ¡Qué viva Ecuador!

By: blacksteel

blacksteel — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:08:25 +0000

When you take into account that Ecuador is overwhelmingly Catholic and that its mostly conservative bishops campaigned heavily against the new constitution, it’s clear that this is a major victory for gay rights.

Moreover, you don’t have to read Spanish to know about the sections that ban gay marriage and adoption by gays. That’s been mentioned in other reports. It would be more accurate to call the victory two steps forward with two more to go.

By: John

John — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:52:57 +0000

It isn’t all good. For Spanish readers, if you read Article 67 and 68 of the new constitution more closely, you’ll see that next to the clause on civil unions is an affirmation of marriage as only between a man and woman, as well as a ban on gay adoption.

So, it is more of a “one-step forward, two-steps backward” sort of situation. English language gay media has a tendency to overexeggerate the progress being made in other parts of the world, even as it downplays significant gains in the Anglophone countries. While some might believe that it is important to “scare” the readers into action in order to combat complacency, I don’t think constantly undermining ourselves is a good way to build up confidence and energize the community.

By: John

John — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:45:24 +0000

Hate to rain on the “We love Ecuador” parade, but Spanish readers (Article 67 and 68) will note that next to the clause on civil unions is a line affirming that marriage is only between a man and a woman, as well as a ban on gay adoption.

http://historico.asambleaconstituyente.gov.ec/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=79&Itemid=109

So, it is more of a “one-step forward, two-steps backwards” sort of constitution. English language gay media tends to overexaggerate the progress in other countries (while undermining the substantive gains that have acheived in the Anglophone world itself).

By: TigerTzu

TigerTzu — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:49:29 +0000

I feel shame when Ecuador sets an example for human equality and the USA is working to set back the progress made by the SCC Community in terms of our rights. Maybe we should forfeit the title of “Champions of Freedom, Democracy and Equality” to those countries that actually are civil rights champions.