08.19.08
Argentine gays win widow pensions
Argentina has announced its first nationwide gay-rights measure: granting same-sex couples the right to claim their deceased partners’ pensions.
Couples must prove they have been living together for at least five years to receive the benefit.
The government’s national decree will “put the rights of all cohabitants on a level playing field.
Gay activists welcomed Monday’s announcement as the fruition of years of campaigning the government to grant them the same rights as heterosexual married couples.
Gay civil unions already are legal in five cities, including Buenos Aires.
The measure is “historic” and marks a “step forward” for human rights because it is the first nationwide gay-rights measure approved by the government.
The organization will now focus efforts on nationalizing civil unions, which would confer additional rights to gay couples, such as adoption and inheritance.