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Latvian lawmakers again reject legalizing same sex partnerships
The Latvian parliament or Saeima on October 29 rejected a citizen initiative proposal that would allow registration of civil partnership between two persons regardless of their gender.
The 100-member legislature, following an at times heated debate, voted against moving the proposal along as a draft law by a vote of 55 to 30, with one deputy abstaining and several others absent or not voting at the on-line session of the Saeima. The proposed law was supported by 10 392 signatures on ManaBalss.lv (My Voice) an online citizen initiative platform that presents most proposals with at least 10 000 signatures to the parliament.
The rejection of a proposed law that would effectively legalize and protect same-sex relationships as well as fix the rights and responsibilities of unmarried heterosexual couples living as a household was the sixth time the issue has been brought up and dismissed the Saeima since 1999.
Young human rights activists and supporters of LGBT rights have staged socially distanced demonstrations by dozens of people at every Saeima plenary session for several weeks to support the partnership or “iife partner”/”Dzivesbiedru” law.
Inese Voika, a parliamentarian from the liberal For Development/For (APar) faction, which supports same sex partnership its…
