Pictures show Ecuador celebrating same-sex marriage

The highest court in Ecuador legalised same-sex marriage in the country on June 12, ruling in favour of allowing two gay couples to marry.

The constitutional court in Quito, Ecuador's capital city, approved same-sex marriage in the cases of two petitions to wed.

The judges made their ruling in a closed hearing, in which four judges dissented but five approved the couples' right to marry.

Ecuador has a population of around 16 million people.

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People celebrate in Guayaquil, Ecuador on June 12, 2019. (MARCOS PIN/AFP/Getty Images)[/caption]

The Catholic Church is highly influential in Ecuador, and the four dissenting judges argued that same-sex marriage could only be recognised if constitutional reform was debated in the National Assembly.

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Ecuador's highest court approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic country. (MARCOS PIN/AFP/Getty Images)[/caption]

"It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian. It is more just than yesterday, that it recognises that human rights must be for all people without discrimination," said Christian Paula, a lawyer at the Patka Foundation, which is giving legal advice to around 10 same-sex couples seeking to marry in the country.

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Ecuador's highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in the conservative South American country. (MARCOS PIN/AFP/Getty Images)[/caption]

Efrain Soria and Javier Benalcazar are one of the couples who had petitioned the court for their right to wed.

Soria told reporters after the decision: “I want to say hello to Javier, who is in [the city of] Guayaquil. Honey, I love you.”


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People celebrate in Quito. (RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/Getty Images)[/caption]

Soria also urged other LGBT+ people to “enjoy the happiness that comes from being equal, like anyone else.”

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Quito celebrations on June 12, 2019. (RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/Getty Images)[/caption]

Ecuador is the fifth South American country to legalise same-sex marriage.

Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and Argentina also have legal same-sex marriage.

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Ecuador's highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling(. RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/Getty Images)[/caption]