Colombia high courts pave way for gay marriage rights

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia's highest court is paving the way for same-sex couples to marry in the conservative Roman Catholic nation.

Gay couples in Colombia were already allowed to form civil unions. But Thursday's Supreme Court ruling by a 6-3 vote would give gay couples marriage rights as well. Activists with the support of President Juan Manuel Santos had argued that denying same-sex couples the right to wed is discriminatory.

Only a handful of nations in Latin America allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, including Argentina.

Colombia's progressive court had already shown its willingness to expand the rights of same-sex couples when it ruled last year that gay couples can adopt children

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The Gayly - 4/7/2016 @ 3:00 p.m. CST