31 Aug Brazil: Gay father granted full “maternity” leave
A government agency in Brazil has granted the full allotment of “maternity” leave to a gay man in a civil partnership, who has adopted a child.
Lucimar da Silva requested the full four month parental leave two years ago, when he and his partner adopted their child.
Up until now, Brazillian law has required that the mother of a child would be granted four months leave, whilst the father would get five days.
An employee of Brazil’s social security agency, da Silva, argued that it would be discrimination should he not be offered the same as a female employee taking the same type of leave.
Yesterday, the agency made a statement saying that this case did not set a legal precedent, and that in future, couples faced with a similar situation should still apply for the leave individually.
In July, ambassadors for Brazil demanded more action and discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity as part as universal human rights standards.