Honduras bars gays from marriage and adoption

Honduran lawmakers have unanimously approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage and adoptions by same-sex couples. The Tuesday vote by Honduras's national assembly came just months after the government formally recognized several gay civil rights groups, a move that outraged church leaders in this overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country. The constitutional amendment also refuses to recognize same-sex marriages or unions that occurred legally in other countries, legislative secretary Juan Hernandez said. Same-sex marriage receives almost no recognition in Latin American countries, hindering the ability of gay and lesbian couples to adopt children. Three exceptions include Colombia and Brazil, where initiatives to extend legal rights to same-sex couples have emerged recently, and Argentina, where gay couples can register as domestic partners. "There is a huge number of lesbians and gays who are anxious about formalizing their unions with someone of the same sex and adopting children," said Honduran Lesbian Group spokeswoman Adela Martinez, who decried congress's decision. The Evangelical Federation, a group of 180 churches in Honduras, said it would pressure the government to go even further than the constitutional amendment by withdrawing official recognition from gay rights groups. In response, some of the groups have threatened to publicly identify gay government officials, businesspeople, and members of the country's social elite. (AP)