Same-sex marriage in Alagoas


Same-sex marriage in Alagoas has been legal since 6 January 2012. Alagoas became the first Brazilian state to legalize same-sex marriage. Civil unions have also been available since 2011.

History

On 7 December 2011, the Alagoas Court of Justice ruled that same-sex marriages could be performed in the state. The ruling came into effect upon publication, which happened on 6 January 2012. This made Alagoas the first state in Brazil to allow same-sex couples to marry. Civil unions have been legally performed in the state since May 2011 due to a Supreme Federal Court ruling.
On 17 January 2012, a male couple who had lived together for almost 25 years became the second same-sex couple to marry in the state, and the first to do so since the new ruling. Earlier, a lesbian couple had been able to have their civil union converted into a marriage.

Marriage statistics

The following table shows the number of same-sex marriages performed in Alagoas, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.