Through a voting process carried out by nine-member Constitutional Court, the law prohibiting same-sex marriages in Ecuador has been discarded as the highest court legalizes same-sex marriage. While five voted in favour, arguing all people were equal, the other four mentioned that the issue had to be debated in parliament.
One of the lawsuits pushing for this cause was filed last year by Efraín Soria and Javier Benalcázar, who have been together for 12 years. One half of the couple- Efran Soria is also the head of the LGBT rights group Ecuadorean Equality Foundation. Following the ruling, there were celebrations in Quito and in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s second-largest city. 
Speaking on the latest development; a lawyer, Christian Paula commented; “It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian… It recognises that human rights must be for all people without discrimination,”. The ruling followed a decision by Inter-American Court on Human Rights which said countries should give same-sex couples the right to marry. 
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