Venezuelan same-sex couples still wait for right to marry

By REGINA GARCIA CANO
Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Ana Margarita Rojas and Elena Hernáiz have shared their lives for more than three decades and raised a son together in Venezuela’s capital. Their neighbors, a bank teller and even hospital workers recognize them as a couple and never question when they refer to each other as “my wife.” Their social acceptance, however, does not translate into legal recognition. Venezuela remains in a shrinking list of South American countries that do not allow same-sex marriages. That is even after the country’s highest court has had the opportunity to act for years and President Nicolás Maduro has asked lawmakers to consider the matter.