A four-year legal battle has ended with a landmark moment in Bolivia, where Fabiana Justiniano and Scarlett Rocha have become the first same-sex couple to have their marriage legally recognised in the country.
The couple first applied to marry in October 2022. What followed was almost four years of legal proceedings, including two constitutional appeals, before a ruling in March 2026 finally cleared the way for them to marry. Their wedding took place earlier this month, marking a significant moment for LGBT rights in Bolivia.
Four Years for the Right to Marry
The journey was far from straightforward.
Bolivia has previously recognised same-sex civil unions following earlier legal challenges, but marriage provides couples with rights and protections that civil unions do not necessarily offer.
Despite the lengthy process and the obstacles they encountered along the way, Fabiana and Scarlett persevered until their relationship could receive the same legal recognition afforded through marriage.
For Fabiana, the result brought something wonderfully simple after years of uncertainty: she described marriage as meaning “peace.”
One Marriage That Could Open the Door for Others
The ruling does not mean that same-sex marriage has automatically become available to everyone in Bolivia.
At present, the court decision applies specifically to Fabiana and Scarlett. Further decisions from Bolivia’s Constitutional Court would be required before the right becomes generally available to other same-sex couples.
But their victory may have started something much bigger.
Their lawyer, Mateo Rodrigo of Equal Bolivia, said that between five and ten other couples had already approached the organisation following the wedding to enquire about pursuing their own cases.
There is precedent for an individual legal victory eventually creating broader change. A same-sex couple successfully fought for recognition of their civil union in Bolivia in 2020, and subsequent court rulings eventually resulted in same-sex civil unions becoming more widely available in 2023. Bolivia has since recognised 148 of them.
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