Costa Rica is poised to become the first Central American country to legalize same-sex marriage. On November 14, Costa Rica’s constitutional court formally ordered the country’s lawmakers to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. The court action paves the way for same-sex marriage to be legal in 18 months after it’s published in the official gazette next week. Same-sex weddings could begin in May 2020. Margarita Salas, a Costa Rican LGBTI activist who previously ran for the country’s National Assembly, called the ruling a “fundamental” win for LGBT rights.