The overseas United States territory of Puerto Rico will join the US in allowing same-sex marriage.
After the Supreme Court decision that brought same-sex marriage to all 50 states, Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla has said the territory will follow suit.
He acknowledged that was opposition to the move in the largely Catholic island, but said: “I ask all of those who are people of faith like me to understand that no one is allowed to impose their religious beliefs on others.”
The Caribbean island joins Guam – another US territory – which announced it was to allow same-sex marriage in April.
The first same-sex couple married in Guam earlier this month.
Puerto Rico announced that it was to stop defending its ban on same-sex marriage back in March, with the Governor saying: “The commonwealth cannot responsibly advance before this court any interest sufficiently important or compelling to justify the differentiated treatment afforded so far to plaintiffs.”
This was only a few months after voting to uphold the ban.
Justice Secretary Cesar Miranda said that the Supreme Court judgement was “a huge step in the quest for equal rights,” according to AP.
He went on: “You cannot deny people the right to love.”
Jose Rodriguez of the group Heterosexuals in Favor of Equality said: “It’s time to truly make Puerto Rico into a more fair and equal society, and not depend on decisions from the outside to achieve this.”
by Naith Payton
Source – PinkNews
