Latvia Legalizes Same-Sex Partnerships
On 9th November, Latvia’s parliament voted for same-sex civil unions, allowing the partnerships legal status but with fewer rights than married ones.
Homosexuality is a complicated issue in Latvia, with reports that the population has generally mixed views on whether to support it or not. In 2005, the parliament changed its constitution to state that marriage is only allowed between men and women.
The new law, which the parliament plans to enforce from 1st July 2024, permits same-sex couples to register their civil union with a legal official. It also means the couples would have the right to visit one another in the hospital and could get social security and tax perks.
‘A Great Beginning’
Latvia’s Prime Minister Evika Siliņa posted on X, “This is a good day. Society has taken an important step in creating a modern and humane Latvia.” He added that the law “sends the signal that all families are important.”
However, the right-wing populist party Latvia First leader, Ainārs Šlesers, expressed dislike for the legislation. Following the vote, Šlesers said he wanted a marriage referendum and parliament to dissolve.
Kaspars Zalitis, a gay rights activist, commented on the legislation, saying, “This is a great beginning… Latvia is not one of the six countries in the European Union that have no recognition for same-sex couples.” However, he highlighted that same-sex couples would still not be able to adopt children legally and would continue facing inheritance problems.
Justice Minister Inese Libina-Egnere said the government wasn’t planning on giving same-sex civil unions the same rights as married partners. “We are acknowledging that we have families which are not married, and this is the way they can register their relationship,” she commented. “The political will is to have a really specific kind of registered partnership,” added Libina-Egnere.
Attitudes in Numbers
An ILGA Europe survey found that in 2022, the Latvian population had divided opinions about homosexuality. The data showed that 25% accepted, 23% disapproved, and 49% had a neutral opinion about same-sex relationships.
And Equaldex surveyed Latvians the same year, finding that 57.87% said homosexuality isn’t justifiable. This number is 6.57% higher than the study’s average across all 88 regions it surveyed worldwide.
Justice Minister Inese Libina-Egnere said the parliament did not intend to provide civil union partners with similar rights to married couples.
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