Frances Leate
A VARIETY of new rights and benefits for gay couples in Gibraltar are soon to become law.
The Gibraltar government has drafted new legislation on civil partnerships which will see same sex couples have legal rights related to tax, pension and property.
The Minister for Equality, Samantha Sacramento, said: “This is a landmark piece of legislation which will uphold the principle of equal treatment of citizens by the state under the law.
“There are already cases where the Gibraltar courts have ruled that applicants for housing must have equal treatment regardless of their sexual orientation.”
She added: “The Government is pleased to have progressed this matter through the drafting stage and will soon be ready to move to publication stage.”
The landmark legislation reflects the policy of the Government that same sex or common law couples should not be discriminated against because of the nature of the family unit that they have formed.
Despite the no doubt frothing of homophobes, this legislation is egalitarian, just and fair.