Colombia's first three-man union legally recognised

For John Alejandro Rodriguez, Victor Hugo Prada and Manuel Jose Bermudez, the recognition of their polyamorous relationship gives hope to 'other types of families.'

John Alejandro Rodriguez, Victor Hugo Prada and Manuel Jose Bermudez

Three Colombian men, from left, John Alejandro Rodriguez, Victor Hugo Prada and Manuel Jose Bermudez have had their relationship legally recognised. Source: Facebook

Three gay men say they have gained legal recognition as the first "polyamorous family" in Colombia, where same-sex marriages were legalised last year.

"We wanted to validate our household... and our rights, because we had no solid legal basis establishing us as a family," said one of the men, actor Manuel Jose Bermudez, in a video published by Colombian media on Monday.
He said he and his two partners, sports instructor John Alejandro Rodriguez and journalist Manuel Jose Bermudez, signed legal papers with a solicitor in the city of Medellin, establishing them as a family unit with inheritance rights.

"This establishes us as a family, a polyamorous family. It is the first time in Colombia that has been done."

Lawyer and gay rights activist German Rincon Perfetti said there are many three-person unions in Colombia but this was the first one to be legally recognised.

"It is a recognition that other types of family exist," he told AFP.

A ruling by the constitutional court in April 2016 made Colombia the fourth South American country to definitively legalise same-sex marriage, after Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.

WATCH: SBS' Viceland 'Gaycation' - an exploration of LGBTQI cultures around the world.


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Source: AFP


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