Considering that in Colombia 1.) Military service is mandatory, 2.) Gays are allowed to serve in the military and 3.) Married heterosexual couples are exempt from mandatory military service, common sense would say that same-sex couples would also be exempt from mandatory service - if only they were recognized as a family unit. Well, according to an article from today's El Espectador, the nation's Procurator General's Office (or, translated differently, Inspector General's Office) sent a "concept paper" to Colombia's Constitutional Court arguing just as much and calling it discriminatory to deny the privilege to same-sex couples who can demonstrate that they are in a conjugal partnership.
"If social security benefits are already granted to homosexual couples, the same criteria should be extended to the Obligatory Military Service," is the way that El Espectador paraphrases the statement.
The Constitutional Court can accept or reject the recommendation but it's yet another small example on how things are changing in Latin America when it comes to recognition of LGBT rights in the continent.
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2 comments:
If I'm not mistaken, military is not mandatory for ALL Colombians as your statement suggests. It's only mandatory of Colombian males. Just like in all countries except Israel, military service and mandatory conscription is gender biased yet somehow people always seem to be unaware of, or all too willing to ignore, this fact. It's just another example of anti-male gender bias that is not only ignored but is covered up by misinformation and mistatements that degenderize issues when their is a anti-male gender bias.
Very cool!
http://www.myspace.com/mrcolombia
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