LIMA, Peru — A Peruvian lawmaker is proposing a bill that would legalize civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.
Congressman Carlos Bruce on Thursday filed the draft bill on same-sex civil unions at the Administrative Office of the Peruvian Parliament.
Bruce said the proposed bill is designed to alleviate some of the discrimination faced by LGBT Peruvians.
The measure would would grant same-sex couples who enter a civil union legal rights and protections in the areas of inheritance rights, joint social insurance, and pensions, he told Peru 21.
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Bruce said LGBT Previans are victims of state-sponsored discrimination because law could not protect their relationships, making them vulnerable.
“This will strengthen families, because it’ll add a new kind of family that is going to join their assets, they’re going to have more disposable income, and they’re going to pay more taxes,” he said.
“And lastly, something else, the most important: they’re going to be happier, which they have every right to be,” Bruce said.
Bruce said his proposal is in line with the principles of the Peruvian constitution, which upholds equality of every citizen before the law.
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The draft bill has to be examined within 72 hours from its submission date by Peru’s Justice Commission, and if approved, it would be clear to be put to the vote in the country’s parliament.
