Marriage equality is now available in Rio de Janiero, Brazil!

rio-judge-valmir-de-oliveira-silva-gay-marriage-legal-brazil

Valmir de Oliveira Silva, above center, the General Magistrate of Justice of Rio de Janiero published a provision that regulates applications for gay marriage in the state in a local newspaper, writing, in part, that the court “recognizes the stable union between persons of the same-sex as a family unit” and that “homosexual cohabitants should have the same rights and duties as heterosexual cohabitants.”

On May 5, 2011, Brazil passed a civil unions law. According to Wikipedia, Rio’s population is comprised of more than 19.3 percent gay or bisexual men and 10.2% lesbian or bisexual women.

Photo: MixBrasil