THE HAGUE - Same-sex couples are now permitted to marry immediately in Aruba and Curaçao, as decided by the Supreme Court on Friday. Until now, same-sex marriage was not allowed in either country. 

The Supreme Court affirms an earlier ruling by the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. On December 6, 2022, this court determined that marriages between people of the same sex must be permitted in the mentioned countries. The governments of Aruba and Curaçao appealed this decision in cassation, but the Supreme Court has now rejected this appeal. 

The case was brought by the Fundacion Orguyo Aruba and the Human Rights Caribbean Foundation in Curaçao. The court in Willemstad previously ruled that the prohibition of same-sex marriage violated the non-discrimination clause and the state charters. The Supreme Court has now upheld this ruling, which was met with applause in the courtroom in The Hague.