> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.gtv.blue/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# A step towards marriage equality in Bolivia?
- URL: https://www.gtv.blue/bolivia/
- Published: 2026-08-16T23:09:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-17T06:44:46.000Z
- Description: Legal recognition of relationships is progress but significant barriers remain.
- Author: Gareth Johnson
- Tags: An LGBTQ Guide to the World

In terms of marriage equality, it's a bit of a complicated picture in Bolivia. 

The major barrier is that the country's constitution explicitly defines marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Since 2023, same-sex couples have been able to access legal recognition of relationships through civil unions.

Now, two women - Fabiana Banzer and Scarlett Rocha - have won a legal battle to be civilly married.

It took four years of legal proceedings, but the end result was a court order for a constitutional injunction - a remedy used to protect citizens against violation of their constitutional rights.

The court's decision was based on the 2018 advisory opinion of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights stating that countries that had signed onto the 1969 American Convention on Human Rights should grant same-sex couples “accession to all existing domestic legal systems of family registration, including marriage, along with all rights that derive from marriage.”

It's not exactly clear - under Bolivian law - what the difference is between a civil union and a civil marriage but they seem to be a different category of domestic partnership.

While the outcome is a personal success for Banzer and Rocha, the case doesn't establish any kind of legal precedent.

Any other couples wanting to pursue a civil marriage in Bolivia would also need to initiate legal proceedings to secure the injunction required to circumvent the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

But if marriage equality for everyone is the goal that Bolivia's LGBTQ community is working towards, this feels like progress - a small step forward but progress nevertheless.

## What's life like for LGBTQ people in Bolivia?

Bolivia is one of the parts of the world where progress has been made in terms of equality for LGBTQ people.

Let’s take a look at some of the key indicators.

### Is it legal to be gay in Bolivia?

Prohibitions against homosexuality arrived into Bolivia with colonisation by the Spanish and the introduction of Christianity.

The criminalisation of homosexuality was removed in 1832.

The age-of-consent for everyone in Bolivia is 14.

### Are there anti-discrimination protections in place for LGBTQ people in Bolivia?

Yes, since 2009 there have been comprehensive anti-discrimination protections in place that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexuality.

### Is there Marriage Equality in Bolivia?

No. The constitution of Bolivia specifically limits marriage to being between opposite-sex couples. 

Since 2023, there has been legal recognition of same-sex relationships through civil unions.

### What’s life like for LGBTQ people in Bolivia?

While Bolivia is a socially conservative country, attitudes are changing and there is an increasing acceptance of the need for equality for LGBTQ people.

## Sign up for full access to G-TV

Immerse yourself in the world of gay men.

Subscribe 

Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. 

Free to join. Unsubscribe anytime.

[An LGBTQ Guide to the World - Naked Men Talking![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e8/3f/e83f7e76-af4a-4e9f-a171-931e3df7b588/content/images/icon/favicon-11248.ico)Naked Men Talking![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e8/3f/e83f7e76-af4a-4e9f-a171-931e3df7b588/content/images/thumbnail/irans-new-supreme-leader-ayatollah-mojtaba-khamenei-has-a-v0-WWosonsEOs_JVZDSGprMKQ9yvEGqaiiIJ5eLPQsQTQI-16.webp)](https://www.gtv.blue/tag/an-lgbtq-guide-to-the-world/)