Brazilian prosecutor files same-sex marriage case
A federal prosecutor in the Brazilian farming and factory town of Taubaté is mounting the nation's first serious case aimed at legalizing same-sex marriage, Reuters reported Feb. 27.
'Gays deserve equal rights, not more rights or less rights,' said João Gilberto Gonçalves. 'This is something that should be discussed objectively, without interference by the church's moral standard of marriage.
'A long time ago it was considered inappropriate to talk about equal rights for women and blacks,' he said. 'The church used to teach that blacks didn't have souls. We now know that's an entirely absurd idea. I think in the future we will look back and be shocked by how poorly we treated homosexuals.'
If Gonçalves' administrative filing faces repeated challenges and appeals, it will travel through three federal courts and end up at the Supreme Court, a process that could take 10 years.
Brazil's constitution is one of only a handful in the world that ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, Reuters claimed.
Taubaté is about 80 miles northeast of São Paulo.
Meanwhile, a new Instituto Sensus poll has found that Brazilians oppose gay civil unions 60 percent to 33 percent. One state, Rio Grande do Sul, offers such unions.
The poll questioned 2,000 adults and has a margin of error of 3 percent.
— Rex Wockner