It was massive news when the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, based in Costa Rica, moved that same-sex marriage is legalised within all countries under its jurisdiction. That decision ultimately affected 20 countries in Latin America, with four of those 20 (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay plus some states in Mexico) already allowing same-sex marriages.
Now, as Costa Rica heads to a presidential election in February, there may be a backlash to the decision with the two leading candidates both from conservative parties.
In a recent poll Fabricio Alvarado, a member of the evangelical National Restoration party, had 13.8 percent of the public's support with Antonio Alvarez from the National Liberation Party following with 13.4 percent. There are 13 candidates running with Alvarado and Alvarez taking the top spots.
It's believed the groundswell of support for Alvarado has come from his staunch anti-LGBT+ positioning, especially in response to the IACHR's marriage equality decision.
Alvarado was against the IACHR's decision, saying that if he were elected, Costa Rica would pull out of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, saying after the decision, "We aren’t willing to push an LGBTI agenda".
Despite current president Solís' support for marriage equality, the road hasn't been smooth with a gay couple finding out that the notary council would refuse to sign off on their marriage the day before the ceremony was scheduled. It would have been Costa Rica's first official same-sex marriage.
Due to Costa Rica's laws, Solís is unable to run for immediate re-election after serving his four-year term, allowing for the door to open up to the evangelical underdog, Alvarado.
