Insufficient support for bill proposal legalization gay marriage Curaçao

WILLEMSTAD - “The bill proposal to make a marriage between two people of the same sex possible cannot count on sufficient support in parliament,” says Member of Parliament for coalition partner MAN, Giselle Mc William. This is the reason why she does not propose the bill proposal to be discussed in the central committee of the Curaçao parliament.

Chairman of Curaçao Pride, Frank Holtslag responds to this with: “It is a pity that Giselle Mc William chooses not to submit the law anymore. Elections are coming. Then people no longer dare for fear of loss of votes. I am glad that Stephen Walroud will continue.” Still, Holtslag sees progress in Curaçao in the acceptance of the LGBT + community. Due to corona, the activities of the eighth Pride Week have been kept small this year.

Two years ago, Mc William and Stephen Walroud of coalition partner PAR, took the initiative to present a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, which was then symbolically announced during Curaçao Pride Week. But now that the bill is ready for consideration in parliament, Mc William is withdrawing.

“We are a Catholic island. Now we are not ready to take this step. I hope that in the next ten years this step can be taken if there are other people in Parliament,” explains the MAN MP.

Fellow MP Walroud appears to be unaware of this decision. He does want the bill proposal to be put on the agenda for consideration. “I am also aware that the bill will probably not be able to count on sufficient support. But that does not alter the fact that we owe it to the LGBT + community to try.”

Walroud says that if necessary, he himself has will put the bill on the agenda of parliament so that the process can continue. He has already submitted a request to the president of parliament. The MP also wants the legislative process to take place before the elections.

“We probably won't get much further than that. But it must come to a vote so that if parliament fails to regulate this itself, it can be enforced.”

The LGBT + community can then initiate legal proceedings to force the government to settle it. “Not by changing the marriage in the civil code, but then a different solution will have to be offered so that people can legally commit in real life. That will then be in the form of a registered partnership, ” says Walroud.

Mc William agrees with her colleague Walroud that there is more support for registered partnership in Curaçao, because this is not about marriage but about ensuring equal rights for everyone.




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