What is Happening with Gay Adoption in Latin America?

                                                                                                           By María Paula Navas

Michael Eidelman junto a sus hijos, Katherine y Connor. (Foto AFP).

The taboo still exits. The distrust and the rejection towards samesex couples. Most people disagree because of religious beliefs which assure that being gay is an identity disorder. In most cases, Latin America children adoption centers do not let young people have a family if their parents are gay.

                             

There is no medical test that can assure that children suffer any medical disorder or that their growth process is interrupted if they grow in a samesex family, explains Marcela Sanchez the director of Colombia Diversa. She adds, “The disorders are produced by society, which discriminates these children and gives them no opportunities.”

Countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Colombia have approved the marital union. Thus these couples can have certain rights: such as being able to get inheritance from the other partner, to be covered under social security benefits, among others; yet child adoption is still an uncertain matter to name a few.

The right is not for the parents themselves, but for the children to have a family that can provide understanding, security, but above all, love. All these important matters are not a priority in the many debates about this issue of samesex partners children adoption, says María Eugenia Gómez, lauyer of Colombian Institute for Family Welfare, known by its Spanish initials, ICBF.(watch video)

Economically developing countries in Latin America have high homophobia levels in their societies, according to a study performed by the Unicef. Many human rights organizations have reported that the persecution against LGBT rights activists have risen since the 2009 Honduras and Nicaragua Coups d'état. In September of 2010, the murder of a witness who was going to testify about the attack against a transvestite sparked the concern even more.

Countries have made improvements in the legal regarding about samesex children adoption, the discrimination homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals are subject to, forces many of them to leave their countries to more tolerant places.

In December 2009, for example, the change in the definition of marriage was approved in the Mexico City Constituent assembly. Now, samesex marriage is permitted as well as samesex children adoption of childrens. This is a historic event since Mexico city is the first place  in the country to approve samesex marriage and children adoption.  And therefore Mexico is the first country in Latin America to approve this as well, setting an example of change for to the rest of society and the world (source: www.asociacionlgbtmundo.com.)

Nicaragua was one of the Latin America countries to consider that  homosexality as a punishable crime, and it punished sodomy acts with to one or three years in prison.

These organizations that support and fight for homosexual people rights sent their messages through an email to their countries embassies in Nicaragua, asking the government of Nicaragua to consider repealing article 204  of the penal code law that penalized homosexuality. As of now, the updated legislation in penal code of Nicaragua, which has been in effect since March of 2008, does not consider homosexuality illegal in the country.