Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court rules for same-sex civil unions

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ruled that partners in same-sex civil unions are constitutionally entitled to the same rights as married persons. The constitutional provision on which it relied requires the state to “promote the good of everyone, without distinction of origin, race, sex, color, age and other forms of discrimination.” Although an English translation of the decision appears hard to come by (for now), the Court’s official press release is available here, and Jurist has a synopsis of the case – along with a brief overview of recent global developments in this area (including the decidedly gay-unfriendly impact of Hungary’s new constitution) – here.