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Brazil's Supreme Court Approves Civil Unions for Same-Sex Couples

Brazil's Supreme Court has unanimously voted for civil unions for same-sex couples, reports the AP.

In a 10-0 vote, with one abstention, the justices said gay couples deserve the same legal rights as heterosexual pairs. When it comes to alimony, retirement benefits of a partner who dies, and inheritances, among other issues. The ruling, however, stopped short of legalizing gay marriage. In Latin America, that is legal only in neighboring Argentina and in Mexico City.

Brazil's ruling sets a judicial precedent that must be honored by all public institutions, including notary publics where civil unions must be registered. The request for the Supreme Court to recognize civil unions came two years ago from the Brazilian attorney general's office, largely because legislation that would give same-sex couples the rights enjoyed by married heterosexual couples has been stalled in Congress for more than a decade.

Minister Luis Fux was the first to submit his vote. Fux said that because homosexuality is not a crime, "there is no reason" to prevent gays and lesbians from forming families, reports Estado News (translation).

Andrés Duque of Blabbeando broke the news about an hour before the Associated Press in English and Spanish via Twitter.

Brazil's twenty-six states and Distrito Federal have made progress on LGBT rights in recent years. In December 2010, the federal government decreed that members of same-sex couples are entitled to social security survivor’s benefits in the event of the partner’s death.

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AP Reports on Latino Gays and Ricky Martin's Coming Out

 

The Associated Press reports on the impact of Ricky Martin's coming out among Latino gays. The announcement was so significant, it's been described as "almost like an earthquake."

"The example of Ricky Martin as citizen of the world, humanitarian, father, intelligent person, is a good example for those who have obvious stereotypes and also for those who don't have prejudice but have ideas that may act as barriers in the lives of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT)," said Jarrett Barrios, president of GLAAD (The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). "Ideas like 'a gay man is good to water my flowers at home but not for business' limit the opportunities for the LGBT community."

Pedro Julio Serrano, communications manager of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, says that "when Ricky made the announcement the tectonic plates moved, it was almost like an earthquake. ... It was one of the most important news in the fight for equality that the Latino LGBT community leads. It touches the hearts and opens the minds of many people," said Serrano, who became a friend of the artist after his announcement. ...

"If in Puerto Rico people used to love him, now they love him even more," said Serrano, who recounted that during Martin's first public appearance post-announcement, in April at the Latin Billboard Awards, the singer not only received a standing ovation in the theater but a multitudinous cheer from the people on the streets. "That says a lot about the welcoming and I think demonstrates the reality of our society," he said. "Even though we still have to fight a lot of homophobia, there is much more acceptance today."

And this very touching personal story:

Ricardo Torres, a Mexican man who was raised in Texas and lives in Chicago, was in the audience when Oprah Winfrey interviewed Martin last year. He thanked Martin, saying that his revelation was good for his own relationship with his mother. "For the first time my mother asked me personal questions. For almost 20 years she has known that I am gay but she never asked anything ... she told me not to tell anyone else in my family. It was a secret ... a big taboo," Torres, 38, told the AP. "Everything changed after Ricky came out of the closet," he added. "Like someone in our family came out and by doing so gave us the right to live more openly."

Blabbeando's Andrés Duque reports on the pop star's recent press junket with Latino media for Música + Alma + Sexo, his first album since 2005. Martin told Leila Cobo of Billboard that coming out on Twitter in March 2010 took "months" of deliberation.

"I spent many months figuring out the best way to do it. I thought it could be a song, or an interview, or in the book," he says, "But I couldn't wait eight more months. I needed to do this, now. Several months before I pressed send, there was a hate crime in Puerto Rico against a gay boy. And at the time, if I had spoken out, people would have started conjecturing."

He adds "There are moments of great tension in the book because I was living under great tension. And one Friday, I called my manager and said, I'm doing this on Monday. I spent the entire weekend drafting that letter. And when I sent it, I felt such a relief, such peace and joy. I thought, My God, had I known, I would have done this 10 years ago."

It's beautiful that Ricky has found his own way and decided to live his life more openly. And become an inspiration to many others. Bravo.

Ricky Martin's autobiography Me was a New York Times best-seller and its Spanish edition Yo was the No. 1 biography in the United States. Música + Alma + Sexo dropped last Tuesday and the single "Lo Mejor De Mi Vida Eres Tu" is No. 1 on Billboard Top Latin Songs.

Fidel Castro Takes Blame for Cuba's 1960s Anti-Gay Persecutions

Fidel Castro took responsibility for the notorious persecutions against Cuban homosexuals launched by his revolutionary government in the 1960s. The communist revolutionary tells a Mexican newspaper that he was distracted by threats from the United States, reports Reuters.

The former Cuban president told La Jornada the persecution of gays, who were rounded up at the time as supposed counterrevolutionaries and placed in forced labor camps, was a "great injustice" that arose from the island's history of discrimination against homosexuals.He said he was not prejudiced against gays, but "if anyone is responsible (for the persecution), it's me. I'm not going to place the blame on others," he said.

Castro, 84, said he was busy in those days fending off threats from the United States, including attempts on his life, and trying to maintain the revolution that put him in power in 1959. "We had so many and such terrible problems, problems of life or death," Castro said. "In those moments I was not able to deal with that matter (of homosexuals). I found myself immersed, principally, in the Crisis of October (Cuban Missile Crisis), in the war, in policy questions," he said.

For more insight: Andrés Duque at Blabbeando translates Castro's front-page interview published in La Jornada,

Cuba's official persecution of gays continued well into the 1970s before sodomy was decriminalized in 1979. There have been recent changes: Two years ago, the state announced its health care system would cover sex reassignment surgery (SRS) for transgenders. Although the communist nation has allowed IDAHO events for the past two years, authorities have refused to issue permits for gay Pride. In 2008, police shut down what would have been the nation's first gay pride march.

Cuba's systematic persecution and imprisonment of gays was famously documented by expatriate Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas. The autobiography Before Night Falls described his time in prison and escape to America. It was adapted to an Academy Award-nominated film by Julian Schnabel.

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Mexican Supreme Court: Mexico City Gay Marriage Law Constitutional

Mexico’s Supreme Court has voted to uphold the landmark law allowing same sex marriage in the capital Mexico City, after the conservative government of President Felipe Calderon challenged its constitutionality. The law was upheld 8-2, reports Reuters.

Calderon's government and his right-wing National Action Party, or PAN, argued the law was unconstitutional on grounds it would be destructive to families. "Those of us who are in favor of this (law) are in favor of diversity and tolerance," Supreme Court Justice Arturo Zaldivar said during the court's deliberations."Our constitution does not establish a concept of marriage," he said.

Justices disagreed on the definition of a "family" and whether  ''procreation" was essential.

The December 2009 law passed by the Distrito Federal's Legislative Assembly was the first of its kind in Latin America and grants gays full marital rights and adoption rights. On July 15, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriages.

The Mexican Supreme Court will review the Distrito Federal's adoption clause on Monday and ''will also debate whether the court's ruling has any reach beyond Mexico City," adds Blabbeandos Andrés Duque.

More on the ruling at Blabbeando ...

WATCH: Thousands Celebrate LGBT Pride in Medellín, Colombia

PHOTOS: Andrés Duque

Last weekend, the beautiful city of Medellín, Colombia celebrated its 10th Annual LGBT Pride Parade. The march is one of several held in the South American nation—Cali and the capital of Bogotá have pride celebrations, too—that has made a number of gay rights advances in recent years.

Medellín native Andrés Duque of Blabbeando returned home for Pride and was "enthralled".

This is the city I left in the late 1990's when I didn't think it was possible to live an openly gay life.Never in a million years would I have expected all this 'Glee'ness to happen in Medellín. ... The march was actually one of two gay pride marches in the city that day. This particular one was pulled together by Edisón Arboleda of the LGBT-rights organization Corporación El Otro. It got off to a slow start and it took ages to make our way downtown, amidst huge sudden downpours and a loss of marchers.But, as marchers made it over the Colombia Street bridge and into the mostly empty industrial area of downtown Medellín, the march truly turned into one huge party.

Colombia's first gay pride parade was held in 1982 in Bogotá, with about 32 people marching. The 2010 Medellín parade attracted an or more.

There's a thorough Wiki entry on LGBT advances in Colombia. Blabbeando also has a category HERE. A few more photos and watch the video AFTER THE JUMP ...

Cristiano Ronaldo Supports Portugal's Marriage Equality Law

Portuguese football and fashion phenom Cristiano Ronaldo support's the nation's new marriage equality law.

In an interview with Público and translation provided by Blabbeando's Andrés Duque, the footballer says: "The Portuguese man that I am, I try to keep informed about what is happening in my country. I know the law was passed and the comment it deserves is that we must respect the choices made by anyone, because, after all, all citizens should have the exact same rights and responsibilities."

That's excellent news from one of the world's top footballers. The sport has had its share of recent headlines from homophobic attitudes by fans and players alike.

WATCH: Parents of Slain Gay Puerto Rican Teen React to Guilty Plea

On Wednesday, the confessed killer in the gruesome murder and dismemberment of a gay teenager in Puerto Rico plead guilty to first degree murder. Juan Martínez Matos was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Myriam Mercado—who has previously spoken eloquently about her son's death—and husband Jorge López were relieved they were spared a trial. "We can grab a little bit of peace in that respect, although it will never bring Steven back to me," says the mother, in a translation provided by Andrés Duque. "At the very least, there is justice in Puerto Rico."

The father expressed forgiveness towards his son's murderer. "Even to the adulterer woman, God said , 'Go and don't do it again. He did not look at her sins. And God forgives."

It's very moving. Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

Ricky Martin Thanks Puerto Rican LGBT Activist Pedro Julio Serrano

Ricky Martin tweets a virtual high-five to Puerto Rican LGBT activist Pedro Julio Serrano. Andrés Duque translates with backstory:

"@PJ_Serrano: kid thanks to you for all you do for Puerto Rico and for the community.  Strength and always push forward" [Serrano] said that he'd noticed Ricky Martin had added him to his Twitter feed and could hardly believe it. So he sent the singer a message telling him how proud he was of him and, in response, Ricky posted the message.

You may recall that PJ Serrano lead the charge against ugly anti-gay slurs describing Martin's that were broadcast on Puerto Rican television. Adds Duque: "I often wondered if Ricky Martin was paying attention to Pedro Julio's efforts to fight the homophobic comments that his coming out had elicited on Spanish-language media and, if he was, whether he approved or saw it as a side-show. Now we have the answer. "

Did Ricky Martin Date Anti Gay Prop 8 Supporter Eduardo Verástegui?

TVyNovelas, which is considered Latin American's leading tabloid devoted to telenovelas, is reporting that Eduardo Verástegui and Ricky Martin were once an item. Verástegui is the former Mexican boybander and model who acted in a number of novelas and became a star—much with the help of a huge Latin American gay fanbase. The Chasing Papi star later became a born-again Christian, right-wing Republican and heavily campaigned for Proposition 8 to California's Latinos. "The gays MADE Eduardo Verástegui," writes Andrés Duque. "And in return he stabs them in the back."

Oh and just like in Ricky Martin's case, certain rumors have followed Verástegui for many years.

Watch Verástegui push for matrimonio tradicionale in his spot for "Yes on 8", WHEN YOU JUMP ....

NYC Officials: FCC Must Probe Anti Gay Remarks on Puerto Rican TV

Six New York City officials, including all four current openly gay city councilmembers, sent a letter (PDF) to the Federal Communications Commission asking for an investigation of recent, homophobic language on the Puerto Rican television show Super Xclusivo broadcast on WAPA América. The crude comments focused on pop star Ricky Martin's coming out, the gay community and Puerto Rican LGBT activist and NGLTF spokesman Pedro Julio Serrano.

Andrés Duque has been monitoring Puerto Rican media and reports:

Immediately after ...  Martin came out, Héctor Travieso, the host of the show who uses a puppet as a bantering partner, repeatedly used the word "pato" (fag) to refer to the singer.  When viewers, including Puerto Rican LGBT rights activist Pedro Julio Serrano, complained, he only upped the ante and defended his usage of the word arguing that there was nothing bad in calling someone a "pato".

The furor elicited by his comments, and by references he later made against Serrano's HIV status and sexuality  has kept the confrontation between Travieso and Serrano in the island newspapers' front pages. Travieso, who also was the host of a radio show, announced on Thursday that he would retire from that spot.  He also extended a semi-apology to Serrano and the LGBT community in an interview that ran yesterday on Primera Hora. No, he did not apologize for using the word "pato".  He only apologized for referring to the LGBT community as "gentuza", which could be translated as "riffraff", "trashy people" or 'worthless people." "I accept his apologies, but those apologies have to come accompanied by a change in his behavior," said Serrano to the paper, "He has to stop the homophobic conduct and stop making fun of the gay community."

The letter is signed by Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and Council members Danny Dromm, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Rosie Mendez, and Jimmy Van Bramer.  Quinn, Dromm, Mendez, and Van Bramer are openly gay. 

The letter (PDF) to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski reads in part: "While we respect freedom of speech, using anti-gay language in this context crosses the line and puts the public welfare at risk. New York and Puerto Rico have both been affected by a number of high-profile hate crimes in recent months. It is imperative to stand up against language that can contribute to bigotry." Read the full letter HERE.

That passage undoubtedly refers to  last November'sgruesome murder and dismemberment of 19-year-old Jorge Steven López Mercado. You may recall that in January, Serrano and the four openly gay NYC councilmembers traveled to Puerto Rico to meet with the López family, as well as Puerto Rican legislators, clergy and LGBT activists.

GLAAD is also calling on the FCC to investigate Super Xclusivo.