A landmark gay rights bill was derailed at the last minute by a bloc of conservative senators, but supporters vowed Wednesday to revive the legislation.Slightly different versions of the bill had been approved by Colombia‘s Senate and house of representatives and Tuesday‘s vote on the final, reconciled version was expected to be routine.
Other conservative lawmakers then broke ranks with the pro-Uribe faction backing the bill and it was defeated, 34-29, in the 102-member Senate.
Many of the bill‘s supporters were absent.
Sen. Armando Benedetti, a sponsor of the bill, vowed to restart the legislative process when Congress reconvenes on July 20, and he criticized Uribe for not defending the initiative more forcefully.
Although states and cities have passed laws allowing gay couples to share assets, no other country in the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic region has done so at a national level.
About 80 gay-rights advocates protested outside Congress on Wednesday with banners reading "A hoax democracy" and "Without sexual freedom there can be no political freedom."
Opponents of the measure and representatives of the Roman Catholic Church said they feared the Colombian law would open the way to gay marriage and gay adoption.
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