The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, on Wednesday condemned passage
in the Puerto Rico Senate of changes to the U.S. territory's Civil
Code.
The changes now head to the Puerto Rico
House of Representatives.
HRC called on Governor Wanda Vazquez to
delay the process “to allow for a level of civic participation that
is responsive to the limitations presented by the COVID-19 global
pandemic and to veto any eventual legislation that would threaten the
rights and lives of LGBTQ people.”
“Puerto Ricans deserve a fair,
transparent ratification process of their Civil Code, not a rushed,
backroom deal by the legislature,” said HRC President Alphonso
David. “We condemn anti-equality leaders’ furtive attempts to use
this process as a way to target LGBTQ Puerto Ricans. The secrecy
surrounding the codes and the legislative process is particularly
troubling in the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic, which has
critically hampered the ability for citizens to participate and make
their voices heard. Governor Wanda Vazquez must stand up for LGBTQ
Puerto Ricans and for democracy by slowing down this process and
allowing all to participate in shaping the future of the island.”
Before voting on the measure, Senators
amended the code to comply with a federal court's order that secured
the right of transgender people to correct their birth certificates
to reflect their gender identity.
Lambda Legal, which represented
plaintiffs in Arroyo v. Rossello, warned Governor Vazquez in
March that the proposed civil code violated the court's ruling.
In a statement, Lambda Legal said that
while it appreciates the Senate's amendment, the proposal remains
“flawed.”
“[T]he proposed new Civil Code still
falls woefully short of reflecting the progress we have made in our
society and fails to recognize modern families,” the group said in
a statement. “In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and the wave
of violence affecting transgender people in the Island, Puerto Rico’s
legislature chose to prioritize a flawed new Civil Code, without the
benefit of public hearings or an open process.”
(Related: Two
men charged in connection with murder of two transgender women in
Puerto Rico.)
"While we appreciate the inclusion
of language recognizing the right of transgender people to correct
their birth certificates, we urge Puerto Rico’s Governor not to
sign the new Civil Code into law. It is flawed, procedurally and
substantively.”