Colombian government extends support for gay-marriage

Bogota: Colombian Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo has confirmed the government’s support for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual community’s campaign for marriage rights, Spanish news agency Efe reported. “The government supports the fight for equality and we will adopt measures providing equal marriage rights for all,” Cristo said at the Andes University in Bogota on Thursday. [caption id=“attachment_2246322” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] He said he would not submit to the mercy of the majority on matters related to human rights, as “respect for equal rights is not optional”. He said he was aware that surveys showed most Colombians were against gay marriage, but that the government was prepared if necessary to take on a difficult fight against public opinion. Cristo said the government of President Juan Manuel Santos would take measures to ensure equal rights for the LGBT community. The minister’s statement comes a day after a gay couple, a Spaniard and a Colombian, began an unprecedented legal battle for recognition in Colombia of their marriage in Spain in 2013, after a Bogota notary refused to register it. IANS