Guillermo and Phillip fight in Namibia for the recognition of the paternity of their three children five of the most promising methods to live more (and best)

More than 13,500 kilometers from the CDMX, in Namibia, Africa, Guillermo Delgado and Phillip Lühl face the government of that nation that refuses to recognize the fatherhood of their three children: Yona, Paula and Maya.

The story of Memo and Phillip began in 2008 when both met in Holland while studying a master's degree in architecture.From that moment they have been inseparable, and with the news that in Namibia - where Phillip is originally - the first school of architecture would open, the couple decided to try their luck and move in 2010 to the African country.Phillip went to work at the University of Science and from Namibia and Guillermo, who was born and grew up in the CDMX, did so in an NGO.

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Officially Phillip was born in South Africa, but in 1990, when Namibia became independent, he acquires that nationality maintaining the permanent South African residence.

Since in South Africa, same -sex relationships are allowed, it is that in 2014 they marry.

“As he has that double identity is that we could get married in South Africa (…) and we could have access to the subrogated paternity process that is very well regulated there.We had a very good option to be parents, ”shares Guillermo in an interview with Animal Politician from Johannesburg, South Africa.

"There in 2017 is when we started the process (of subrogated paternity) and two years later is when we gave birth to our first child, Yona, and that was where the difficulties began".

Initially, when both returned from South Africa with Yona there was no major problem to enter Namibia, but after warning that both parents were men, they rejected their application.In the baby's birth certificate was clearly the name of Guillermo and Phillip as parents.

"After they saw the application well, they began that" it can't be that two men are parents of a child. ".Calvary began there.

Legal fights, conflicts and migratory issues became every day's bread.

"When we wanted to introduce ourselves to the Namibio government as a couple, at first they did give us a permission, but then they took it away and said‘ it was a mistake, we do not recognize the same -sex couples, "he adds.

Despite the difficulties they followed their life in Namibia, but Guillermo and Phillip wanted more family.Almost immediately, after having Yona, they began a new process to apply subrogated paternity in South Africa.Although it took longer because there were several failed attempts, last March they became parents of the twin Paula and Maya.

However, only Phillip could go to birth, because neither Guillermo nor Yona could leave Namibia.Memo because I had no permission to travel and although it was less to leave, there was no guarantee that I could return to Namibia, and Yona because two years after their birth they have not been able to fix their identification papers, because they do not recognize that he hastwo men men.

“Then Phillip came to Johannesburg for the birth of the twins and by the time he wanted to return (to Namibia), the government did not want to give him anything, he did not want to give him the documents and was stuck in South Africa and I stuck with Yona in Namibia.There was ugly the thing because the weeks went by.We made an urgent application, and declined, and another and declined it, ”laments Memo.

Two months after the birth of Paula and Maya, the government of Namibia tells them that it will recognize the namibia citizenship of the twins as long as a DNA exam is practiced confirming that "the true father" is indeed a citizen Namibio.A proposal that Guillermo and Phillip have categorically rejected because they claim that paternity cannot be reduced to a purely biological issue.

“We refuse ourselves (to do the test) because of principles, we do not mean that the one who is the sperm donor, is the real dad, no, here there is no real dad and dad of lies, we are both parents and noneis more or less.And the second (reason) is that it is not constitutional.Anywhere he says that biology has to do, that is, if we had been a man and a woman with a birth certificate they would not have asked us anything, but of course, we are two men and that cannot be, ”he claims.

Only in the first week of May, Guillermo got a permission to leave Namibia and traveled to Johannesburg to meet his twins.Yona could not travel, so he had to do with his sisters through a video call.

Only for four days they could be together, because Phillip returned to Namibia and again the family is separated with the uncertainty of not knowing what will happen.

Guillermo emphasizes that “maybe (the government of) Namibia is confused because we do not wantIt has nothing to do with surrogate paternity ".

Parallel to the open processes that are carried out in the African country, Guillermo has requested the support of the Government of Mexico through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.What he is looking for is that the country recognizes its children Mexican nationality.However, he anticipates, it can be another struggle that will consume time, energy and resources because in unofficial communications they have anticipated that they will also request DNA tests.

“I am Mexican and I have never felt something else.I am far away, with my husband from Namibia, many kilometers, but for me it is very important that my children be Mexican.For me it is important to speak to you in my language (...) for me it is very important to cultivate that aspect, so that is why it is important that Mexico enters the equation, ”he says.

Guillermo and Phillip are already prepared for the best and worst scenario.If everything goes well, he says, they will return to their house, the five together as the family that are.If in the last request made, the documents do not give their children, they know that they will go to court again, they will spend money, effort and time.He knows that it cannot be a battle that they can overcome for a long time, because they accept that they are reaching an economic and energy limit.

Although he is confident that they will win and obtain the legal recognition of the fatherhood of their three children, Guillermo knows that they may also lose their trial and have to make an extreme decision such as leaving Namibia.

“If we go to trial and the verdict is not in our favor we will have to recognize that we lost and we will have to leave the country, which would be a pity.We already live there (in Namibia) 11 years, we have our work at the university, our house, our family, our friends ... is an exile, ”he reproaches.

Hence the importance of the support of the Mexican government because if the verdict does not favor them, the option to return to Mexico is on the table, as long as the country recognizes nationality to the three children.

And, he explained, in order to leave Africa, it is necessaryAnd that is a situation that worries him a lot.

Read more: surrogate maternity.A couple of cases for reflection

Thus, from Johannesburg, Guillermo requested the support of the Mexican authorities through the Ministry of Foreign Relations for Yona, Paula and Maya to have Mexican nationality.

“With our first child they told us that yes (they would give him Mexican nationality), that everything was ready, it was just a matter of giving us an appointment and that we went to Pretoria - which is where the embassy is - and recorded our firstson.But since we could not travel because Yona could not leave Namibia, because we let it go and when we had our twins we decided ‘Well, now with the twins we all go and we recorded them all three on a trip instead of making two’ ”.

“I perceive that there is an agenda of equality that is at the discourse level, now it has to be implemented at a practical level.For example, it seems to me a very beautiful thing that the authorities (Mexican) are already very open with matters of equality with the LGBTI community, but, for example, when we, same -sex partner, we arrived with our three children to register themAs Mexican citizens and they will ask us DNA issues because that agenda is not so implemented, it is more speech, ”said Guillermo.

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