Legal victories led by local civil society organizations and grassroot movements have lent significant momentum to the fight for LGBT+ equality in Colombia. These increased levels of visibility are a result of tireless campaigns by civil society groups and activists that work to educate and transform society. Television shows continue to feature more LGBT+ characters and media coverage of LGBT-related issues has grown more consistent. Various elected representatives across national, departmental, and local levels like Andrés Cancimance in Putumayo and Oriana Zambrano in La Guajira identify as LGBT+. In October 2019, Bogotá elected Claudia López as their first woman and lesbian mayor. Colombia at the forefront of the LGBT+ movement in Latin AmericaĬolombia has experienced significant milestones in terms of political and other forms of representation for LGBT+ people, paving the way towards a more inclusive society.
As Pride Month comes to an end, civil society groups and Colombia’s LGBT+ community persist in an ongoing struggle to combat stigmatization, secure justice for past crimes, and ensure that authorities implement protections as guaranteed under the law. So far this year, in the Caribbean region alone, at least 15 LGBT+ people were killed. In 2020, attacks against LGBT+ leaders and trans people continue even amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Last year, a study found that, out of nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Colombia registered the highest number of killings of LGBT+ people over a five-year period. But nonetheless, ongoing violence against the LGBT+ community, especially against trans people, reflects a longstanding paradox in Colombia: on paper, the country has one of the strongest legal frameworks in Latin America defending the rights of LGBT+ people however, in practice these protections are rarely enforced.Īfter Brazil, Colombia is perhaps the most dangerous country in the Americas for LGBT+ people.
Included in these feats is the historic recognition of LGBT+ people in the peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the first in the world to specifically include LGBT+ people. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex Colombians have been granted momentous protections over the past two decades.