Aruba Ordered To Register Gay Marriages

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/08/082405Aruba.htm

A lesbian couple has the right to register their marriage in Aruba, a court ruled Tuesday, rejecting a government appeal in a case that has exposed a cultural rift between Holland and its former colony.

Aruba's Superior Court confirmed a lower court's December ruling that the Caribbean island should register the marriage of Charlene and Esther Oduber-Lamers, who were wed in Holland in 2001.

"The Dutch marriage can be inscribed in the register," read the decision. "Since Aruba is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it must comply with demands of the Kingdom."

[Bill McBlueState]

1. good

I read about this a few days ago, and all the Arubans could come up with were complaints about the assault on their tradition of homophobia. Of course, that's typical of anyone opposed to gay marriage.

[TaleWgnDg]

2. Indeed !!

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Aruban court says government must recognize Dutch same-sex marriage

Jeannie Shawl at 12:22 PM ET
Wednesday, August 24, 2005

(JURIST legal news) Aruba's Superior Court has ruled that a lesbian couple legally married in the Netherlands has the right to register their marriage in the autonomous Caribbean republic that is part of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands">Kingdom of the Netherlands (Wikipedia backgrounder) (includings the Netherland, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba) even though same-sex marriage (JURIST news archive) is not authorized under Aruba's civil code. Lawyers for the Aruban government had argued that although same-sex marriage is legal in the Netherlands, Dutch laws that require members of the Kingdom to recognize each other's legal documents do not trump the island's right to self-rule. The court ruled in favor of the couple, saying that "The Dutch marriage can be inscribed in the register. Since Aruba is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it must comply with demands of the Kingdom." The Aruban government has said it will appeal the decision to Holland's Supreme Court. AP has more.

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edited to add: Ooops, the origin website: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2005/08/aruban-court-says-government-must.php

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[Meeker Morgan]

3. Hmm. And if Aruba refuses and declares independence ...

... will the Netherlands go to war over it?

We'll see.

There's a strong homophobic strain in Caribbean cultures.

In Jamaica, "buggery" is still a felony.