Brazil Gay Marriage News: Judicial Panel Says Same-Sex Couples Cannot Be Denied Marriage

Brazil's top judicial panel has ruled on Tuesday (May 14) that gay couples cannot be denied the right to apply for marriage licenses.

The National Council of Justice has issued the verdict that government offices in Brazil, regardless of the marriage equality law being passed, do not have the right to deny a gay couple a marriage license.

According to GayStarNews, Joaquim Barbosa, the chief justice who heads the council, has stated that the Supreme Court has "affirmed that the expression of homosexuality and homosexual affection cannot serve as a basis for discriminatory treatment, which has no support in the Constitution."

"The expression of sexuality and homosexual affection cannot be the basis of discriminatory treatment," said Barbosa, according to Bloomberg. "The step taken by the Supreme Court cannot be ignored."

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With the Brazilian Congress considering a bill that would legalize same sex marriages throughout the nation, many feel that this latest development will help pave the way for the bill to pass. That said, Tuesday's ruling can still be appealed to the Supreme Court.

"It is a major step that will ensure equality among heterosexual and homosexual couples," said Carlos Magno Fonseca, president of the Brazilian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Association to reporters.

Many states in Brazil have already legalized same sex marriages, including: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul, Espírito Santo, Bahia, Alagoas, Sergipe, Piauí, Ceará and The Federal District.

If the Brazilian Congress passes the marriage bill, then Brazil will be third Latin American country to legalize same sex marriage after Argentina passed a bill in 2010 and Uruguay's law last month.