GUATEMALA CITY, Oct 4 (IPS) - Human rights groups and activists for the rights of sexual minorities have expressed alarm at a draft law that the Guate

GUATEMALA CITY, Oct 4 (IPS) - Human rights groups and activists for the rights of sexual minorities have expressed alarm at a draft law that the Guatemalan Congress is preparing to pass, which would eliminate single parents as well as same-sex couples from the official definition of "family."

But parliamentary Deputy Carlos Eduardo Velásquez, of the small right-wing Unity of National Change (UCN) party, told IPS that "the law defends the family and prevents the concept of marriage from being distorted. Marriage cannot be between homosexuals."

Velásquez is one of the sponsors of the "Integral Protection for Marriage and Family Act", under which only a nuclear family made up of a father, mother and their children would be defined as a "family."

The draft law states that "family essentially originates, exclusively, from the conjugal union between a man and a woman…through marriage or through a legally declared de facto union and other social forms, such as a religious ceremony or ritual, custom or cultural practice, as the only natural design."

The draft law, introduced to Congress in October 2005, is pending final approval by the legislature.

In an open letter sent to the Guatemalan Congress Monday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged legislators to vote against the draft law, because it would "bar single parents as well as same-sex couples from the definition of ‘family,’ and threatens the legal status of children conceived through reproductive technologies."

Velásquez, however, said HRW was "taking things out of context." He argued that the draft law does not explicitly state that single-parent households are not considered families, and that children conceived through assisted reproduction are not even mentioned.

But the draft law extends the definition of "family" only to "children procreated as a result of the natural union" between a man and a woman, with one single exception: adoption.

"We agree with HRW because passing a law that excludes sexual diversity generates an environment of even more violence and aggression" towards sexual minorities, Claudia Acevedo, head of the Association of Liberated Lesbians (LESBIRADAS), told IPS.

The activist mentioned the Yogyakarta Principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity, adopted in the Indonesian city of that name and launched in Geneva in 2007 by a group of 29 international human rights experts.

The Yogyakarta Principles establish that "Everyone has the right to found a family, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity", and urge states to "Ensure that laws and policies recognise the diversity of family forms, including those not defined by descent or marriage".

But the "Integral Protection for Marriage and Family Act" would require all representatives of the Guatemalan state to support the law’s definition of marriage and family in international as well as national settings, and would make it a crime to do otherwise.

"We are not seeking same-sex marriage or adoption by same-sex couples, but merely the possibility of enjoying basic legal rights," said Acevedo, who added that the rights of gays and lesbians in Guatemala are often trampled because of their sexual orientation.

"The constitution establishes that we all have the same rights," said Velásquez, who added however that because "homosexuality is a preference, not a right," the constitution defends homosexuals "as people, but not their preferences."

"The aim of this bill is to strip certain partners, parents, and children of rights and recognition all families deserve," says Juliana Cano, a researcher with HRW’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights programme, in the group’s open letter to Congress.

"This bill takes aim at lesbian and gay couples, but it has almost half of Guatemalan children and parents in its sights," says Cano. "Targeting children and their caregivers in the name of a political agenda is not only unjustifiable, it is morally reprehensible."

HRW says in the letter, which was published on its web site in Spanish and English, that if the law is approved, nearly 40 percent of Guatemalan families will no longer be considered as such because they are not typical nuclear families.

"Crucial health services now provided for single parents, their children, and indigenous families under a 2001 law could be taken away," the rights group warns. The organisation also notes that international bodies such as the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have recognised the need to respect different forms of the family.

"The Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Guatemala is a party, protects children from discrimination on the basis of their parents’ or caregivers’ status," says the open letter, which adds that "Guatemala has also ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the U.N. Human Rights Committee has held to ban discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation."

But according to Velásquez, HRW "is fighting in favour of homosexual marriage, and the people of Guatemala do not want homosexual marriage."

He said the draft law had the support of 88,000 signatures collected by churches and other organisations.

Carlos Romero, spokesman for the Guatemalan National Network of Sexual Diversity and HIV, which groups 18 different organisations, told IPS that "They are delegitimising the way we live. It is terrible that we are seen as second-class citizens."

The two presidential candidates who will be competing in the Nov. 4 runoff election have both made it clear that they are opposed to homosexual marriage.

"God said Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steven," said Álvaro Colom, the candidate of the centre-left National Union of Hope, at a forum organised in July by the Evangelical Alliance of Guatemala.

His rival, retired general Otto Pérez Molina of the right-wing Patriot Party, who is ahead of Colom according to the latest polls, told the same forum that he was against adoption by same-sex couples.

Activist Romero, meanwhile, criticised "meddling" by religious groups in legislative matters, and called for equal rights and recognition of same-sex couples. (END/2007)


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GUATEMALA CITY, Oct 4 (IPS) - Human rights groups and activists for the rights of sexual minorities have expressed alarm at a draft law that the Guatemalan Congress is preparing to pass, which would eliminate single parents as well as same-sex couples from the official definition of "family."

But parliamentary Deputy Carlos Eduardo Velásquez, of the small right-wing Unity of National Change (UCN) party, told IPS that "the law defends the family and prevents the concept of marriage from being distorted. Marriage cannot be between homosexuals."

Velásquez is one of the sponsors of the "Integral Protection for Marriage and Family Act", under which only a nuclear family made up of a father, mother and their children would be defined as a "family."

The draft law states that "family essentially originates, exclusively, from the conjugal union between a man and a woman…through marriage or through a legally declared de facto union and other social forms, such as a religious ceremony or ritual, custom or cultural practice, as the only natural design."

The draft law, introduced to Congress in October 2005, is pending final approval by the legislature.

In an open letter sent to the Guatemalan Congress Monday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged legislators to vote against the draft law, because it would "bar single parents as well as same-sex couples from the definition of ‘family,’ and threatens the legal status of children conceived through reproductive technologies."

Velásquez, however, said HRW was "taking things out of context." He argued that the draft law does not explicitly state that single-parent households are not considered families, and that children conceived through assisted reproduction are not even mentioned.

But the draft law extends the definition of "family" only to "children procreated as a result of the natural union" between a man and a woman, with one single exception: adoption.

"We agree with HRW because passing a law that excludes sexual diversity generates an environment of even more violence and aggression" towards sexual minorities, Claudia Acevedo, head of the Association of Liberated Lesbians (LESBIRADAS), told IPS.

The activist mentioned the Yogyakarta Principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity, adopted in the Indonesian city of that name and launched in Geneva in 2007 by a group of 29 international human rights experts.

The Yogyakarta Principles establish that "Everyone has the right to found a family, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity", and urge states to "Ensure that laws and policies recognise the diversity of family forms, including those not defined by descent or marriage".

But the "Integral Protection for Marriage and Family Act" would require all representatives of the Guatemalan state to support the law’s definition of marriage and family in international as well as national settings, and would make it a crime to do otherwise.

"We are not seeking same-sex marriage or adoption by same-sex couples, but merely the possibility of enjoying basic legal rights," said Acevedo, who added that the rights of gays and lesbians in Guatemala are often trampled because of their sexual orientation.

"The constitution establishes that we all have the same rights," said Velásquez, who added however that because "homosexuality is a preference, not a right," the constitution defends homosexuals "as people, but not their preferences."

"The aim of this bill is to strip certain partners, parents, and children of rights and recognition all families deserve," says Juliana Cano, a researcher with HRW’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights programme, in the group’s open letter to Congress.

"This bill takes aim at lesbian and gay couples, but it has almost half of Guatemalan children and parents in its sights," says Cano. "Targeting children and their caregivers in the name of a political agenda is not only unjustifiable, it is morally reprehensible."

HRW says in the letter, which was published on its web site in Spanish and English, that if the law is approved, nearly 40 percent of Guatemalan families will no longer be considered as such because they are not typical nuclear families.

"Crucial health services now provided for single parents, their children, and indigenous families under a 2001 law could be taken away," the rights group warns. The organisation also notes that international bodies such as the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have recognised the need to respect different forms of the family.

"The Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Guatemala is a party, protects children from discrimination on the basis of their parents’ or caregivers’ status," says the open letter, which adds that "Guatemala has also ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the U.N. Human Rights Committee has held to ban discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation."

But according to Velásquez, HRW "is fighting in favour of homosexual marriage, and the people of Guatemala do not want homosexual marriage."

He said the draft law had the support of 88,000 signatures collected by churches and other organisations.

Carlos Romero, spokesman for the Guatemalan National Network of Sexual Diversity and HIV, which groups 18 different organisations, told IPS that "They are delegitimising the way we live. It is terrible that we are seen as second-class citizens."

The two presidential candidates who will be competing in the Nov. 4 runoff election have both made it clear that they are opposed to homosexual marriage.

"God said Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steven," said Álvaro Colom, the candidate of the centre-left National Union of Hope, at a forum organised in July by the Evangelical Alliance of Guatemala.

His rival, retired general Otto Pérez Molina of the right-wing Patriot Party, who is ahead of Colom according to the latest polls, told the same forum that he was against adoption by same-sex couples.

Activist Romero, meanwhile, criticised "meddling" by religious groups in legislative matters, and called for equal rights and recognition of same-sex couples. (END/2007)


Send your comments to the editor




GUATEMALA CITY, Oct 4 (IPS) - Human rights groups and activists for the rights of sexual minorities have expressed alarm at a draft law that the Guatemalan Congress is preparing to pass, which would eliminate single parents as well as same-sex couples from the official definition of "family."

But parliamentary Deputy Carlos Eduardo Velásquez, of the small right-wing Unity of National Change (UCN) party, told IPS that "the law defends the family and prevents the concept of marriage from being distorted. Marriage cannot be between homosexuals."

Velásquez is one of the sponsors of the "Integral Protection for Marriage and Family Act", under which only a nuclear family made up of a father, mother and their children would be defined as a "family."

The draft law states that "family essentially originates, exclusively, from the conjugal union between a man and a woman…through marriage or through a legally declared de facto union and other social forms, such as a religious ceremony or ritual, custom or cultural practice, as the only natural design."

The draft law, introduced to Congress in October 2005, is pending final approval by the legislature.

In an open letter sent to the Guatemalan Congress Monday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged legislators to vote against the draft law, because it would "bar single parents as well as same-sex couples from the definition of ‘family,’ and threatens the legal status of children conceived through reproductive technologies."

Velásquez, however, said HRW was "taking things out of context." He argued that the draft law does not explicitly state that single-parent households are not considered families, and that children conceived through assisted reproduction are not even mentioned.

But the draft law extends the definition of "family" only to "children procreated as a result of the natural union" between a man and a woman, with one single exception: adoption.

"We agree with HRW because passing a law that excludes sexual diversity generates an environment of even more violence and aggression" towards sexual minorities, Claudia Acevedo, head of the Association of Liberated Lesbians (LESBIRADAS), told IPS.

The activist mentioned the Yogyakarta Principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity, adopted in the Indonesian city of that name and launched in Geneva in 2007 by a group of 29 international human rights experts.

The Yogyakarta Principles establish that "Everyone has the right to found a family, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity", and urge states to "Ensure that laws and policies recognise the diversity of family forms, including those not defined by descent or marriage".

But the "Integral Protection for Marriage and Family Act" would require all representatives of the Guatemalan state to support the law’s definition of marriage and family in international as well as national settings, and would make it a crime to do otherwise.

"We are not seeking same-sex marriage or adoption by same-sex couples, but merely the possibility of enjoying basic legal rights," said Acevedo, who added that the rights of gays and lesbians in Guatemala are often trampled because of their sexual orientation.

"The constitution establishes that we all have the same rights," said Velásquez, who added however that because "homosexuality is a preference, not a right," the constitution defends homosexuals "as people, but not their preferences."

"The aim of this bill is to strip certain partners, parents, and children of rights and recognition all families deserve," says Juliana Cano, a researcher with HRW’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights programme, in the group’s open letter to Congress.

"This bill takes aim at lesbian and gay couples, but it has almost half of Guatemalan children and parents in its sights," says Cano. "Targeting children and their caregivers in the name of a political agenda is not only unjustifiable, it is morally reprehensible."

HRW says in the letter, which was published on its web site in Spanish and English, that if the law is approved, nearly 40 percent of Guatemalan families will no longer be considered as such because they are not typical nuclear families.

"Crucial health services now provided for single parents, their children, and indigenous families under a 2001 law could be taken away," the rights group warns. The organisation also notes that international bodies such as the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have recognised the need to respect different forms of the family.

"The Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Guatemala is a party, protects children from discrimination on the basis of their parents’ or caregivers’ status," says the open letter, which adds that "Guatemala has also ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the U.N. Human Rights Committee has held to ban discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation."

But according to Velásquez, HRW "is fighting in favour of homosexual marriage, and the people of Guatemala do not want homosexual marriage."

He said the draft law had the support of 88,000 signatures collected by churches and other organisations.

Carlos Romero, spokesman for the Guatemalan National Network of Sexual Diversity and HIV, which groups 18 different organisations, told IPS that "They are delegitimising the way we live. It is terrible that we are seen as second-class citizens."

The two presidential candidates who will be competing in the Nov. 4 runoff election have both made it clear that they are opposed to homosexual marriage.

"God said Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steven," said Álvaro Colom, the candidate of the centre-left National Union of Hope, at a forum organised in July by the Evangelical Alliance of Guatemala.

His rival, retired general Otto Pérez Molina of the right-wing Patriot Party, who is ahead of Colom according to the latest polls, told the same forum that he was against adoption by same-sex couples.

Activist Romero, meanwhile, criticised "meddling" by religious groups in legislative matters, and called for equal rights and recognition of same-sex couples. (END/2007)


Send your comments to the editor



GUATEMALA CITY, Oct 4 (IPS) - Human rights groups and activists for the rights of sexual minorities have expressed alarm at a draft law that the Guatemalan Congress is preparing to pass, which would eliminate single parents as well as same-sex couples from the official definition of "family."

But parliamentary Deputy Carlos Eduardo Velásquez, of the small right-wing Unity of National Change (UCN) party, told IPS that "the law defends the family and prevents the concept of marriage from being distorted. Marriage cannot be between homosexuals."

Velásquez is one of the sponsors of the "Integral Protection for Marriage and Family Act", under which only a nuclear family made up of a father, mother and their children would be defined as a "family."

The draft law states that "family essentially originates, exclusively, from the conjugal union between a man and a woman…through marriage or through a legally declared de facto union and other social forms, such as a religious ceremony or ritual, custom or cultural practice, as the only natural design."

The draft law, introduced to Congress in October 2005, is pending final approval by the legislature.

In an open letter sent to the Guatemalan Congress Monday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged legislators to vote against the draft law, because it would "bar single parents as well as same-sex couples from the definition of ‘family,’ and threatens the legal status of children conceived through reproductive technologies."

Velásquez, however, said HRW was "taking things out of context." He argued that the draft law does not explicitly state that single-parent households are not considered families, and that children conceived through assisted reproduction are not even mentioned.

But the draft law extends the definition of "family" only to "children procreated as a result of the natural union" between a man and a woman, with one single exception: adoption.

"We agree with HRW because passing a law that excludes sexual diversity generates an environment of even more violence and aggression" towards sexual minorities, Claudia Acevedo, head of the Association of Liberated Lesbians (LESBIRADAS), told IPS.

The activist mentioned the Yogyakarta Principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity, adopted in the Indonesian city of that name and launched in Geneva in 2007 by a group of 29 international human rights experts.

The Yogyakarta Principles establish that "Everyone has the right to found a family, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity", and urge states to "Ensure that laws and policies recognise the diversity of family forms, including those not defined by descent or marriage".

But the "Integral Protection for Marriage and Family Act" would require all representatives of the Guatemalan state to support the law’s definition of marriage and family in international as well as national settings, and would make it a crime to do otherwise.

"We are not seeking same-sex marriage or adoption by same-sex couples, but merely the possibility of enjoying basic legal rights," said Acevedo, who added that the rights of gays and lesbians in Guatemala are often trampled because of their sexual orientation.

"The constitution establishes that we all have the same rights," said Velásquez, who added however that because "homosexuality is a preference, not a right," the constitution defends homosexuals "as people, but not their preferences."

"The aim of this bill is to strip certain partners, parents, and children of rights and recognition all families deserve," says Juliana Cano, a researcher with HRW’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights programme, in the group’s open letter to Congress.

"This bill takes aim at lesbian and gay couples, but it has almost half of Guatemalan children and parents in its sights," says Cano. "Targeting children and their caregivers in the name of a political agenda is not only unjustifiable, it is morally reprehensible."

HRW says in the letter, which was published on its web site in Spanish and English, that if the law is approved, nearly 40 percent of Guatemalan families will no longer be considered as such because they are not typical nuclear families.

"Crucial health services now provided for single parents, their children, and indigenous families under a 2001 law could be taken away," the rights group warns. The organisation also notes that international bodies such as the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have recognised the need to respect different forms of the family.

"The Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Guatemala is a party, protects children from discrimination on the basis of their parents’ or caregivers’ status," says the open letter, which adds that "Guatemala has also ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the U.N. Human Rights Committee has held to ban discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation."

But according to Velásquez, HRW "is fighting in favour of homosexual marriage, and the people of Guatemala do not want homosexual marriage."

He said the draft law had the support of 88,000 signatures collected by churches and other organisations.

Carlos Romero, spokesman for the Guatemalan National Network of Sexual Diversity and HIV, which groups 18 different organisations, told IPS that "They are delegitimising the way we live. It is terrible that we are seen as second-class citizens."

The two presidential candidates who will be competing in the Nov. 4 runoff election have both made it clear that they are opposed to homosexual marriage.

"God said Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steven," said Álvaro Colom, the candidate of the centre-left National Union of Hope, at a forum organised in July by the Evangelical Alliance of Guatemala.

His rival, retired general Otto Pérez Molina of the right-wing Patriot Party, who is ahead of Colom according to the latest polls, told the same forum that he was against adoption by same-sex couples.

Activist Romero, meanwhile, criticised "meddling" by religious groups in legislative matters, and called for equal rights and recognition of same-sex couples. (END/2007)