LGBT rights in Aruba
Encyclopedia
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Aruba may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT
residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Aruba
, but same-sex couples with Dutch nationality must travel to the Netherlands
to get married and legal protection of marriage is not unconditional.
, Aruba is obliged to recognize same-sex marriages registered in the Netherlands as valid. The Aruban government initially declared same-sex unions illegal, but was challenged by a lesbian couple who had legally married in the Netherlands and then moved to the island. The case went to the Dutch Supreme Court
, which ruled on 13 April 2007 that Aruba must recognize all marriages registered in the Netherlands.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, but same-sex couples with Dutch nationality must travel to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to get married and legal protection of marriage is not unconditional.
Recognition of same-sex relationships
As part of the Kingdom of the NetherlandsKingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
, Aruba is obliged to recognize same-sex marriages registered in the Netherlands as valid. The Aruban government initially declared same-sex unions illegal, but was challenged by a lesbian couple who had legally married in the Netherlands and then moved to the island. The case went to the Dutch Supreme Court
Hoge Raad der Nederlanden
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands is the highest court of the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Aruba. The Court was established on 1 October 1838 and sits in The Hague, Netherlands....
, which ruled on 13 April 2007 that Aruba must recognize all marriages registered in the Netherlands.
See also
- LGBT rights in the Netherlands
- Politics of ArubaPolitics of ArubaAruba, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic country, whereby the prime minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Federal legislative...