The first openly gay member of the legislature of Costa Rica has taken his seat.
The man, Enrique Sanchez, is a member of Partido Accion Cuidadana (PAC), a leftist political organization. Sanchez, a journalist, represents a segment of territory found in the province of San Jose. He was sworn in on the first of May.
The elections were on February 4. In January, several days before the nation was set to go to the polls, an influential ruling was handed down from the bench.
The San Jose-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights found that same-sex marriage and transgender rights must be recognized under the law. Sanchez, 40, agreed with this ruling, he told the Washington Blade.
The journalist said he never sought to hide his orientation during his campaign. Sanchez added that the reaction from the public had been positive.
According to the Blade, “Sanchez noted improving access to technology and reforming Costa Rica’s public television network are among his other legislative priorities. He also told the Blade he hopes U.S. institutions can ‘stop’ the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail the rights of LGBT people, women, migrants, people of color and other marginalized groups.”