Htun's Book Provides a Theoretical Foundation for This Dissertation
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE From International Idea to Domestic Policy: Explaining the Emergence of Same-Sex Partnership Recognition in Argentina and Brazil A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science by Shawn Richard Schulenberg June 2010 Dissertation Committee: Dr. David Pion-Berlin, Chairperson Dr. Bronwyn Leebaw Dr. Charles Smith Copyright by Shawn Richard Schulenberg 2010 The Dissertation of Shawn Richard Schulenberg is approved: ______________________________________________ Committee Chairperson ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ University of California, Riverside ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION From International Idea to Domestic Policy: Explaining the Emergence of Same-Sex Partnership Recognition in Argentina and Brazil by Shawn Richard Schulenberg Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Program in Political Science University of California, Riverside, June 2010 Dr. David Pion-Berlin, Chairperson This dissertation examines how the international idea of same-sex partnership recognition (SSPR) becomes enacted into domestic policy in Argentina and Brazil. It begins by looking at how the leading LGBT social movements in each country understand and prioritize the battle for same-sex unions. These understandings ultimately determine how far reaching an enacted law may go. Next, it explains what the current constitutional and statutory law is in each nation today and through which avenues it potentially could be changed. The second half of the work systematically compares how the LGBT social movement organizations have engaged with the three branches of government to advance their goals. What it finds is that Brazilian LGBT groups have long had elite allies within iv all three branches of government, but these leaders have not had the institutional capacity to affect change. In Argentina, on the other hand, all three branches have significant institutional powers to change the law, but lesbians and gays have had a harder time securing friends in these positions. The result is that movements in both countries have not yet achieved success. However, some recent changes in both of these southern cone nations have made SSPR a real possibility: the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court, with new and expanded powers, may soon decide in favor of stable unions for same-sex couples. Moreover, allies in the Argentine Senate are expected to soon approve a bill granting full same-sex marriage rights. The final chapter concludes with a brief look at how the variables identified in these cases function in three other Latin American countries. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 Literature Review and Argument ............................................................................ 2 Step One: International Idea Proposed Domestic Policy ....................... 5 Step Two: Proposed Domestic Policy Adopted Domestic Policy ......... 8 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 16 Alternative Explanations and Controls ................................................................. 19 Chapter Outline ..................................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER 2: LGBT MOVEMENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS ................................... 30 Histories of Activism and Organizational Structures Today ................................ 34 Activism in Brazil ..................................................................................... 34 Activism in Argentina ............................................................................... 41 Goals and Priorities of the LGBT Movements ..................................................... 49 Brazil: Civil Unions Are Enough, but Not Their Main Priority ............... 50 Argentina: Marriage or Civil Unions Are One of Many Competing Priorities .................................................................................................... 53 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 56 CHAPTER 3: SAME-SEX UNIONS AND THE LAW................................................... 58 Brazil ..................................................................................................................... 61 Constitution Law ....................................................................................... 61 Civil Code ................................................................................................. 63 Argentina............................................................................................................... 66 Constitutional Law .................................................................................... 66 vi Civil Law .................................................................................................. 67 Opportunities for Change? .................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER 4: THE COURTS ........................................................................................... 72 Legal Systems Compared ..................................................................................... 75 Brazilian Legal System ............................................................................. 76 Argentine Legal System ............................................................................ 82 Legal Opportunity Structures .................................................................... 84 History of SSPR Cases in the Courts .................................................................... 87 Litigation in Brazil .................................................................................... 87 Litigation in Argentina .............................................................................. 96 The Future in the Courts? ................................................................................... 106 CHAPTER 5: LEGISLATURES AND PRESIDENTS ................................................. 108 The Legislative Branch ....................................................................................... 111 SSPR Legislation in Brazil ..................................................................... 112 SSPR Legislation in Argentina ............................................................... 116 Explanation of Differences ..................................................................... 122 The Executive Branch ......................................................................................... 131 Presidents in Brazil ................................................................................. 131 Presidents in Argentina ........................................................................... 135 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 141 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................... 143 Other Cases ......................................................................................................... 145 Colombia ................................................................................................. 146 Chile ........................................................................................................ 148 vii Ecuador ................................................................................................... 150 Final Thoughts .................................................................................................... 152 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 154 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: Continuum of Same-Sex Partnership Recognition ........................................ 32 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1: What SSPR Policies Are Possible within Each Country? ................................. 7 Table 1.2: Will Same-Sex Partnerships Be Legally Recognized by the State? ................ 14 Table 4.1: Comparative Legal Systems ............................................................................ 85 x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION In recent years, lesbians and gays have won increased acceptance and legal recognition throughout the globe, securing impressive victories on items such as nondiscrimination ordinances, funding for HIV treatments, and same-sex partner recognition laws. Although many of these advances have taken place in first world countries, considerable progress has also been achieved in lesser-developed countries, most notably in Latin America. Nevertheless, most of the literature in political science on lesbian and gay politics focuses on the former and not the latter. This purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to filling this void. By studying the cases of Argentina and Brazil, my research intends to sharpen our understanding of how gay and lesbian social movements in Latin America achieve state recognition of same-sex partnerships. At first glance the challenges facing sexual minorities in Latin America to pass such legislation appear to be daunting. First, most countries in this region are highly religious, which many studies show impedes the ability for gay and lesbian movements to make progress legislatively (Badgett 2004; Button