Justices in the Brazilian states of Rondônia, Paraíba and Santa Catarina have ruled to authorize marriage equality for same-sex couples, bringing the total to 14 of the country’s 27 states to legalize same-sex marriage.

The ruling by the Corregedor Geral de Justiça caps a month where five state justices in Brazil ruled in favor of same-sex marriage.

A judge in the Brazilian state of São Paulo has ruled that gay and lesbian couples in civil unions will no longer have to apply to the courts to have their relationships "upgraded" to marriage, effectively legalizing same-sex marriage in the country's most populous state.

Sao Paulo state Judge Fernando Henrique Pinto ruled last week that state notaries will be required to register same-sex marriages without first getting court approval.

Fifteen activists from Curitiba, Brazil have revealed today that they have been receiving constant death threats since the last week of September.

All the threats are of a homophobic nature and characteristic of hate crimes expressing a high degree of cruelty.

They have been being received by telephone at home and at work, by mobile phone, e-mail and social media since the last week of September.

The phone calls are being made from public telephones.

BRASILIA, Brazil — The nation’s top appeals court has ruled in favor of two lesbians who got married.

Tuesday’s ruling by Brazil's Supreme Appeals Court overturned two lower court’s ruling against the women, and makes it the highest court in Latin America's largest nation to uphold a gay marriage.

In May, Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled that gay civil unions could be recognized, but stopped short of recognizing full marriages.

Then in June, a state court judge ruled that two men could legally change their civil union into a full marriage.