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News > Latin America

Ecuador: LGBT Community Rejoices Court Recognizing Gay Couple as Family

  • Judge Tatiana Ordenana who ordered the decision favoring the rights of the girl stated all children seeking registration should be allowed to do so.

    Judge Tatiana Ordenana who ordered the decision favoring the rights of the girl stated all children seeking registration should be allowed to do so. | Photo: Frontlinedefenders.org

Published 30 May 2018
Opinion

Satya Amani Bicknell Rothon will soon be registered with the last names of the two mothers as a couple, Helen Bicknell and Nicola Rothon.

LGBT rights advocates and members of the community in Ecuador are rejoicing after a historic Constitutional Court decision, which ordered the Civil Registry office to register a seven-year-old girl parented by a lesbian couple with their last names, thereby accepting the legitimacy of their matrimony.

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Satya Amani Bicknell-Rothon will be registered with the last names of both women, Helen Bicknell and Nicola Rothon, as her parents. 

The decision which sets a precedent favoring the LGBT rights came after years of the seeking legitimization on official documents, which were first filed in September 2012. 

"We knew we were going to win, but we did not know when..." Helen Bicknell said Wednesday during a press conference. "This is the result of efforts of collective articulation, the Ombudsman activated a jurisdictional guarantee, but everything would not have been possible without the support of the organizations." 

José Luis Guerra, one of the lawyers involved in the case, said the case sought to establish that the Registry by not registering Satya's last name as requested by her parents violated the girl's rights.  

Judge Tatiana Ordenana who ordered the decision favoring the rights of the girl stated all children seeking registration should be allowed to do so, irrespective of the type of family they come from. 

According to the lawyer, the couple will await the official notification for daughter's name to be registered within the thirty days. Seven-year-old Satya is Nicky's first biological daughter, and the couple is also parenting Arundel, the biological son of Helen. 

The lawyer also highlighted that it was a substantial step to recognize diversity and not have polarized opinions as to what categorizes as a family. The couple also underscored that they weren't the only women taking care of the children by themselves, there are families where grandmothers help mothers, etc. 

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