#NBCLatino20: Exporter of Equality, Cesar Francia (NBC News)
NBC News, October 11, 2017
#NBCLatino20: Exporter of Equality, Cesar Francia
“At the end of August, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed a proposal for same-sex marriage legislation that also allows couples to adopt children. The proposal is now in their Congress for debate. None of this would have likely happened without Francia and a coalition of volunteer attorneys working pro bono with non-governmental organizations and LGBT rights organizations. Together they have been working to push for same-sex marriage rights in Latin America. Francia and the other attorneys have also submitted amicus briefs to local courts in Colombia and Panama in support of petitioners seeking same-sex marriage rights there. Meanwhile, a lawsuit against the government of Mexico in support of marriage equality has been submitted to the Inter-American Commission. Francia is in corporate law; yet he and his boss take the time to lead the American component of these volunteer efforts with the support of the Vance Center for International Justice of the New York City Bar Association. ‘So we write them [amicus briefs], I translate them into Spanish and then we submit them on behalf of organizations who support same sex marriage,’ he said.”
