Brazil Grants Residency to Same-Sex Partner

Published reports say the Brazilian government has for the first time granted permanent residency to a noncitizen based on a same-sex relationship.

According to the Associated Press, Antonio Vega Herrera of Spain, who lives in the Brazilian town of Aracatuba with his native-Brazilian partner, has been granted the right to live in the country permanently based on an October ruling by Brazil's Supreme Court "that recognized same-sex marriage, giving gay couples the rights such as the ability to jointly file taxes and to jointly adopt a child."

Julio Moreira, president of the Rio de Janeiro gay rights group Arco Iris, applauded the move, saying, "We're advancing our rights as part of a conversation about democracy in this country. Our constitution says no one should be discriminated against, so we see this in the same terms as the fight against racism and sexism."

Moreira says the next hurdle is getting Congress to pass legislation guaranteeing those rights so that individual cases won't have to be tried in court.

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