Civil unions between homosexual couples are not recognised officially in Brazil.
Proposed legislation to guarantee gay couples the same rights as heterosexuals has been debated in Congress for more than nine years.
But a statement from the judges in Rio Grande do Sul said homosexual relationships existed and as such, deserved to be regulated by law.
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The ruling binds all judges and justices-of-the-peace in the state to approve civil unions "between persons of sound mind and independent of sexual orientation".
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