Gays Advance Again In Colombia

Yesterday Colombia's Constitutional Court granted sweeping equal "civil, political, social and economic rights" to gay couples.

The high court ordered complete equality in criminal and civil court cases and disciplinary investigations. The latest ruling means that the gay partner can claim pension from the military if his or her same sex partner dies and are allowed to refuse to testify against their partner in a criminal investigation. Until now these rights were reserved for straight couples only.

Furthermore, members of the LGBT community are allowed to claim alimony payments after a separation from their partner. Representatives of the gay community in Colombia responded positively to the ruling, calling the ruling "historic". Marcela Sanchez Buitrago, director of gay rights group Colombia Diversa, the struggle for human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples benefit soiety as a whole.

Wow. Alimony, pensions, the full deal. Same-sex couples now have the same rights as straight couples after cohabitating for two years. Last year Colombia nearly approved gay marriage, but the bill was defeated at the last minute.