UN expert hails "historic" legal opinion on sexual orientation, gender identity in Americas

GENEVA, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- A UN expert on Friday hailed a "landmark opinion" issued by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that recognizes the right to gender identity and protection of family ties between same-sex couples.

Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, said the latest court opinion was a "significant step toward upholding the dignity and human rights of persons with diverse sexual orientation and gender identity".

On Jan. 9, the Inter-American court of Human Rights issued an Advisory Opinion that Costa Rica must recognize marriage equality. This opinion is also relevant to 19 other countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean that have signed the American Convention on Human Rights.

"I am very pleased with the Court's reasoning, which is permeated in equal measure by legal rigor and human understanding," the UN expert said.

"In my view, the protections described by the Court in this Advisory Opinion will have an extremely positive impact in addressing stigma, promoting socio-cultural inclusion and furthering legal recognition of gender identity, all of which have been identified by my mandate as fundamental to address the root causes of violence and discrimination," he added. Enditem