On November 22nd, the Rio de Janeiro state court converted the stable union into civil marriage of two lesbian couples.
Cátia Cilene dos Santos and Ana Cristina Soares dos Santos (photo) started the conversion process 2 months ago and got a positive response.
Their case took place in the 2nd Family Court of Nova Iguaçu, in Baixada Fluminense, and the decision was made by judge Dr. Mônica. “We had no difficulty achieving the conversion. This is due to the commitment of Dr. Mônica, who understood our situation and has no prejudices”, said Cátia.
The couple was one of those who participated in the first collective ceremony of same-sex stable unions promoted by the Government of Rio, through the Rio Without Homophobia Program, in May 2011.
The path of Vânia Cardoso de Souza and Antonianne Figueiredo Cardoso de Souza was not so easy. They registered their stable union in August 2011, started the conversion process in November of the same year and have received several denials since then. Only last week did the couple celebrate their new marital status.
Throughout the process, the two couples had the support of the technical team – lawyers, psychologists and social workers – from the Rio Without Homophobia Program.
“Every civil marriage established between people of the same sex is an achievement for the LGBT population. Our fight is so that all gays, lesbians, transsexuals and transvestites can get married without having to go through a process. I believe that soon we will have our rights recognized, like states like Bahia and Alagoas”, celebrates Cláudio Nascimento, superintendent of Individual, Collective and Diffuse Rights and coordinator of the Rio Without Homophobia Program, from the state's Secretariat of Social Assistance and Human Rights. From Rio.
