Colombia gay rights

Despite its sordid history with the drugs cartels, Colombia has undergone a major transformation over the last 20 years. And although Catholicism is still solid here, Colombian society is often considered more tolerant compared to its neighbors because of the diversity within the population. It is however worth noting that the machismo attitude still persists quite strongly in rural areas, particularly near the coast.

Legal rights and protections for Gay people in Colombia are considered among the most progressive in Latin America. Same-sex marriage was legalized in April 2016 in Colombia with the first same-sex wedding taking place in Cali on 24 May 2016. In addition, Congress passed a regulation banning discrimination on sexual orientation in 2011, adoption for same-sex couples was legalized in 2012 and the right to convert your gender has been in place since 1993. Colombia’s progressive legal rights and protections has won the destination the title of best LGBTQ+ emerging destination at the FITUR 2017 travel trade business in Madrid, and is one of the reasons why Colombia was considered the Leading LGBTQ+ Destination in South America in 2018, by the Society Travel Awards.

The

LGBT in Colombia: a War Within

Abstract

On the surface, Colombia appears to be at the vanguard of the gay rights movement, having extended legal rights to same-sex couples and transgender people in recent years. But for many of the nearly five million Colombians who are LGBT, these rights have been largely meaningless as a result of the deep-rooted prejudice that often results in violence.

Gay, woman loving woman and transgender Colombians have been actively persecuted by armed groups involved in Colombia’s decades-long civil war. Members of the LGBT society are four times more likely than the rest of the population to be threatened and abused by both legal and illegal armed forces.

The disproportionate persecution they hold faced was commended in the calm accord that the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the nation’s largest guerrilla group, signed last September. But the inclusion of LGBT rights was one key reason voters rejected the accord in a plebiscite held the following month.

Link to capstone project: http://espitiam.com/lgbt-in-colombia-a-war-within/

Recommended Citation

Espitia, Monica, "LGBT in Colombia: a War Within" (2016). CUNY

Colombia
LGBTIQ people enjoy strong protection under the regulation. In 1999, the Constitutional Court issued rulings for two intersex-related cases that restricted physicians' and parents' ability to surgically "correct" the genitals of intersex children without their consent and also recognized intersex people as a minority group deserving human rights protection. Gay marriage has been legal in Colombia since 2011, and in 2016, Colombia’s Constitutional Court made it illegal to refuse marriage registration for same-sex couples. Since 2015, gay couples have been allowed to adopt. The process for legal gender recognition was also simplified in 2015 accompanying a favorable court decision. Additionally, in March 2022, the Colombian Constitutional Court recognized third-gender classifications for nonbinary individuals. Colombia has legal protections against discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity; however, these legal protections have yet to translate into excel investigation and sentencing of perpetrators of hate crimes.
Public belief and treatment of LGBTIQ people vary greatly across Colombia. The 2022 congressional elec

Stress, Health, and Well-Being of LGBT People in Colombia
Overall, 20% of LGBT respondents reported that the police or state officials had been verbally abusive, and 11% reported physical abuse. Experiences of verbal and physical abuse by police were especially high for transgender people (29% and 24%, respectively).
75% of LGBT respondents were bullied at least once before they turned 18 and 25% of LGBT respondents were fired from or denied a position in their lifetimes. Both experiences were more common among trans and gay/bisexual male respondents.
Everyday experiences of discrimination, or microaggressions, were a common experience for LGBT respondents. Almost three-quarters of the respondents reported that people had acted as if they were better than them (73%) and reported that they were treated with less courtesy than others (70%). A significantly higher proportion of transgender respondents reported experiencing microaggressions than cisgender LGB respondents.
Community Connectedness
Generally, LGBT respondents felt a high affiliation with their LGBT community. Respondents agreed with statements saying they feel favor they are a part of the LGBT community, are pr