Maria Berenice Dias

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Maria Berenice Dias (born in 1948 in the city of Santiago, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) is a progressive Brazilian judge and the first woman to take the bench in her home state of Rio Grande do Sul. Dr. Dias also was the first woman to become a justice of the state highest Court of Appeals. She is the presiding justice over the Seventh Panel of Judges of the state highest Court of Appeals; the quorum of judges assembles in Porto Alegre, the state capital. Dr. Dias' own specialty is the area of family law.

While known as a long-time defender of women's rights, Dr. Dias also became a great champion and fighter on behalf of the human rights of persons of sexual minority; and especially defending the right of same-sex couples, as alternative families, to have their unions officially recognized by the State of Brazil.

Dr. Dias always insists in recognizing same-sex couples as family units based on their free, mutual and permanent in nature homoaffectionalism towards one another. This has made her a true pioneer and a beloved friend of the members of the Brazilian Homosexual Movement (Movimento Homossexual Brasileiro) and of the all-encompassing Queer community of Brazil.

Besides being a prolific author of books and articles, etc. Dr. Dias also created, co-founded or presided over such organizations as the Brazilian Institute of Family Law (Instituto Brasileiro de Direito de Família/IBDFAM); the Federation of Women’s Associations (Federação das Associações Femeninas/FAF); JusMulher, offering voluntary legal and psychological service to women in need; and the Brazilian Association of Women with Careers in the Justice Field (Associação Brasileira das Mulheres de Carreira Jurídica/ABMCJ-RS).

However, one of her most important publications has been her recent book Homoafetividade - o que diz a Justiça (ISBN 85-7348-280-X), a work in which she gathers and comments the pioneering judicial decisions by the Brazilian Court of Appeals regarding the civil rights of same-sex couples. These decisions set historical legal precedents (jurisprudência) resulting in changes in all of the states of the Federative Republic of Brazil. It should be noted that this publication is absolutely fundamental in trying to understand the modern advances of the rights of homosexuals in Brazil.

Dr. Dias obtained her Post Graduate Degree and Master in Civil Proceeding from the Catholic Pontifice University of Rio Grande do Sul (Pontífica Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul/PUCRS). She is a very active speaker throughout Brazil and abroad. Dr. Dias was selected and she accepted the title of embassador of the First World Outgames/2006 which will take place in Montreal, Canada.