LGBT rights in Aruba

LGBT rights in Aruba

Same-sex sexual activity legal? Legal
Military service Yes
Discrimination protections Yes
Family rights
Recognition of
relationships
Same-sex marriages performed in the Netherlands recognized

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Aruba may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Aruba, but same-sex couples with Dutch nationality must travel to the Netherlands or its special municipalities to get married and legal protection of marriage is not unconditional.

Law regarding same-sex sexual activity

Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Aruba.[1]

Recognition of same-sex relationships

As part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba is obliged to recognize same-sex marriages registered in the Netherlands as valid. The Aruban government initially did not recognize these marriages, but was challenged by a lesbian couple who had legally married in the Netherlands and then moved to the island. The case went to the Dutch Supreme Court, which ruled on 13 April 2007 that the Kingdom's constituent countries must recognize all of each other's marriages.[2]

In April 2015 representatives of all four constituent countries agreed that same-sex couples should have equal rights throughout the Kingdom.[3] The same month a registered partnership bill was submitted to parliament.[4]

On the 22 August 2016, Desiree de Sousa - Croes, an openly gay Senator who married her same sex partner in the Netherlands intoduced a bill to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples. However the vote to introduced the bill to legalize unions for same-sex couples was prosponed to 8 September 2016 since some Members of Parliament support civil unions for same-sex couples, others still need to make up their minds.[5]

On September 8, 2016 the Arubian parliament ruled to recognize same-sex civil unions.[6]

Summary table

Same-sex sexual activity legal
Equal age of consent
Anti-discrimination laws in employment
Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services
Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas
Same-sex marriages
Same-sex civil unions (Since 2016)
Step-child adoption by same-sex couples
Joint adoption by same-sex couples
Gays allowed to serve in the military (the Netherlands responsible for defence)
Right to change legal gender
Access to IVF for lesbians
Commercial surrogacy for gays male couples (Banned for heterosexual couples as well)
MSMs allowed to donate blood

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.