caracas “Kiss, kiss, kiss!” said the mayor, before calling the next couple who would declare a civil marriage shortly after coordinating everyone to face the camera for the portrait and inviting them to witness the event in to share on social networks. “So that it is known.” In Altamira Square in Caracas, on the afternoon of Valentine’s Day, a busy day in the city as with any commercial event, 24 couples took advantage of the Chacao Municipality’s offer to get married in a community wedding that paid for makeup and hairstyles, payment for them plus advice on choosing clothes, a bottle of sparkling wine with glasses, occasional photos and a hotel stay for the honeymoon.
“We want to instill values in children and people who come here to the square and see that family is the fundamental basis of society, we want to promote moral and family values,” said Gustavo Duque, local president of Smallest Municipality and more city revenue. Everyone who managed to submit the required legal documents on time registered for the joint wedding ceremony, because according to the organizer there were people who remained on the waiting list. Wilmer and Merchy signed up last. They have a 10-year relationship with children but have had trouble renewing their marriage license. “I’m excited,” he commented before his partner entered with the other women dressed as brides. They also formalized their 23-year love story Luis, 63, and Giolly, “now from Velásquez,” 54. They were the oldest couple and most photographed at an event this mayor is repeating for the second time, a formula that’s an old one tradition of Venezuelan politicians, but this time it was even reported by international news agencies.
In Venezuela, despite everything, people still get married. Luis and Giolly saw the possibility of getting married as a “God thing” because a few days ago they received the most important sign. His former partner’s divorce documents finally came out days ago, after being transferred to court for more than six years. The day after receiving a dose of chemotherapy for breast cancer, she went to her wedding, she asked to change position in public so as not to receive the sun, and she didn’t stop smiling all day. The group snapped photos in front of a giant heart decorating the square to complete the phrase and political slogan I (love) Chacao, which has recently become a trend among politicians across the country, who are using the marketing strategy even in the smallest town in the country engulfed by inflation, political and social crisis, but full of tokens of love from its rulers.
Earlier, across town, LGBTQ rights activists used the date to challenge their right to marry in the Supreme Court, the reason why a collective marriage ceremony was officiated by an agency across town are exempt homosexual couples and other existing family forms. The small group of activists with balloons and banners demanded from the judges equal rights to marry, respect for the identity rights of trans, intersex and non-binary people and also the end of the criminalization of homosexual relationships within the Bundeswehr under punishment by the internal ones Regulations referred to by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, during his recent visit to the country.
On the social networks announcing the collective marriage, there were those who asked about the right to marry between people of the same sex and others who called for mass divorces. For the mayor, same-sex marriage is an issue “that we would rather see legislated for at the national level before we make a municipal decision,” he commented in statements to the media, before declaring 24 couples husbands and wives. “It’s a contentious issue, but it’s a reality and all sectors of society need to be heard and valued as human beings.”
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