Judge and minister Ellen Gracie Northfleet, 63, submitted her retirement request from the Federal Supreme Court (STF) three weeks ago. Gracie was the first woman to be nominated to occupy a seat on the STF and was also part of the vote for the approval of stable same-sex unions, where the ministers, unanimously, granted union rights to homosexual couples.
Ellen Gracie is this week's interviewee in the yellow pages of Veja magazine. In the conversation, the judge comments on her vote in favor of stable unions between gay couples.
"Brazil, from the very beginning of its Constitution, says that it does not admit discrimination. So there is no reason for our citizens to be treated differently because of their sexual orientation. Just as we do not admit that they were treated differently for reasons of color or religion, sexual orientation should not be a factor preventing them from enjoying equality in relation to other citizens. This is the basis of the decision", declared the minister.
Next, Ellen Gracie says that "a decent country does not discriminate between its citizens. My vote was that all the rights corresponding to a stable union between people of the opposite sex be extended to homosexuals, including the right to adoption. But the Discussions about homosexual rights have not yet ended in the Supreme Court, they will certainly return to the plenary", stated Ellen Gracie.
