Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
  • About us
  • Support us
  • Contact Us
  • Intelligence
  • Advertising
  • Newsletter
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
News

Inspector general forms senate bloc against gay marriage

by Olle Ohlsen Pettersson April 3, 2013

ordonez

Colombia’s inspector general, members of the Catholic church and various Christian organizations on Wednesday formed a new alliance in the Senate against gay marriage.

Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez formed the bloc ahead of the second of four senate debates over the proposed gay marriage bill, which takes place on April 10.

BACKGROUND: Colombia congress restarts gay marriage debate

MORE: Colombian inspector general attempts to prevent gay marriage

Senators Edgar Espindola Niño of the National Integration Party and Claudia Wilches Sarmiento of the U Party, both vocal critics of the gay marriage proposal, were behind the senate initiative.

“The recognition of persons of the same sex as family is unconstitutional,” said Espindola.

Espindola is no doubt referring to Article 42 of the Colombian constitution, which states that marriage is “between a man and a woman.” Espindola’s argument has already been questioned by Colombia’s Constitutional Court.

“The phrase ‘man and woman’ in the definition of marriage is in conformity with the Colombian Constitution, but the justices were of the view that such a phrase does not imply a prohibition against a legal bond between homosexuals, similar or equal to that of the heterosexual couples,” the court stated in March, reasserting its 2011 ruling that same-sex couples constituted families before the law.

MORE: Same sex couples constitute family: Colombian Constitutional Court

Marcela Sanchez, the director of Colombian equal-rights NGO Colombia Diversa, said the nature of the debate had been misinterpreted.

“It is not an anti-gay marriage bloc, but a bloc that is against the rights of a discriminated group of the population. I want to clarify that, in reality, we are talking about a contract of civil matrimony, not about religious matrimony. We respect that the Catholic church does not marry homosexuals…but this is a debate about the Colombian constitution, not about the Catholic church or any other church, but about civil matrimony…In Uruguay there is a Catholic church too; there [they] approved egalitarian matrimony, while here [in Colombia] we are still asking what a family is, here we are very much behind,” Sanchez told Colombia Reports.

The topic of gay marriage remains divisive in Colombia. Polemic views reveal a nation of conflicting sensibilities, which were on display when the local media made quite a stir over homophobic comments made by a Colombian senator.

MORE: Gay sex is repulsive: Colombian senator

Sources

  • Procurador, católicos y cristianos crean bloque anti-matrimonio gay (El Espectador)
  • Interview with Marcela Sanchez of Colombia Diversa
  • Colombia sabrá suerte del matrimonio gay el 10 de abril (El Espectador)
Alejandro OrdoñezGay marriage

Trending

  • Tensions in Colombia over lost COVID-19 vaccine shots

  • Colombia’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign shows first cracks

  • Coronavirus crisis bankrupted 500K of Colombia’s small businesses

Weekly interviews and news updates

Related articles

  • Colombia illegally dismissed former Bogota mayor: human rights court

  • Venezuelan migration is plot to spread socialism: Colombia’s ambassador to OAS

  • Duque appoints far-right ally as Colombia’s ambassador to OAS

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • RSS

@2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs


Back To Top