LGBTQ history in Colombia

Until the mid-1930s, people with diverse sexual identities and orientations had to hide from society because they were pathologized in Colombia. In 1936, homosexuality was no longer treated as a mental illness, but instead came to be treated as a crime.^[11]

In 1940, the fight for recognition of homosexual rights began with the creation of the clandestine group Los Felipitos in Bogotá.^[12]

Since 1960, the evolution of internal armed conflict in Colombia has led to a wide range of hate crimes, acts of torture, harassment, and murders as recorded by military, political, and paramilitary forces against the LGBT community. Guerrilla forces, such as FARC, have been among those responsible for these acts. These events have generated large migratory movements of Colombian citizens who have been forced to flee as refugees.^[13]

Despite the persecution of LGBT people throughout armed conflict in Colombia, numerous opponents of LGBT rights have spoken out against their inclusion in the peace agreement between the government and the FARC. Conservative and religious groups have argued that the agreement seeks to promote homosexuality and establish what they call a "homosexual dictatorship". Furthermore, despite legal advances in Colombia, homophobia remains prevalent in institutions such as the police and military.^[13]

During the 1970s, significant progress was made in the fight for LGBT rights in Colombia. During this time, León Zuleta organized an LGBT group in Medellín^[12] and psychologist/sexologist Octavio Giraldo Neira conducted pioneering studies on male homosexuality in the country.^[14] Furthermore, venues such as Arlequín, El Farol, and Yango opened in Bogotá, becoming socializing spots for gay men, albeit clandestinely.^[14] In 1976, León Zuleta and Manuel Velandia founded the Homosexual Liberation Movement of Colombia (MLHC). The following year, El Otro, an LGBT newspaper founded by Zuleta, was launched and became a platform for sharing information and experiences and promoting diversity.^[12][14]

In 1978, weekly meetings were held at the Emmanuel Mounier Library for nearly three years, giving rise to the Güei Liberation Meeting Group (GELG), a meeting and support space for LGBT+ people.^[14] However, in 1979, Decree 2277 was enacted, establishing standards for teaching and considering "homosexuality or the practice of sexual aberrations" as grounds for misconduct.^[15] Despite these difficulties, the LGBT+ community continued its struggle, and that same year, La Ventana Gay (The Gay Window) began publishing a magazine that helped give a voice to sexual and gender diversity.^[12] Additionally, photographer Miguel Ángel Rojas published the series Faenza, which became a symbol of homosexuality in national art and contributed to the visibility of the LGBT+ community in the artistic world.^[14]

The 1980s marked a period of significant change in the struggle for LGBT rights in Colombia. In 1980, homosexuality was decriminalized and removed from the Penal Code.^[14][16] Consequently, various groups emerged, such as the Homosexual Liberation Movement, the Gay Study and Liberation Group, the Landa Collective, and Heliogábalos, led by Guillermo Cortez, Manuel Rodríguez, and Leonardo Vidales. The first gay pride march in Bogotá was held in 1983.^[17]

During the 1990s, significant legal and cultural advances were made in the fight for LGBT rights in Colombia. In 1992, the first Colombian LGBT novel, "Un beso de Dick" (A Kiss of Dick), written by Fernando Molano Vargas, was published.^[14] In addition, attorney Germán Rincón Perfetti filed the first legal action regarding name changes before the Constitutional Court, allowing transgender people to change their names without major bureaucratic obstacles from the State.^[16] In 1993, León Zuleta, a prominent gay rights activist, was murdered.^[12]

In 2002, several countries, including Colombia, signed the Andean Charter for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Guayaquil, Ecuador. This charter recognized sexual orientation as a protected category against discrimination.^[18]

Between 2007 and 2008, the Constitutional Court of Colombia ruled that same-sex couples have the same rights and obligations as heterosexual couples. This included recognizing common-law marriages between people of the same sex and providing legal protection for these relationships.^[19]

In 2012, the Constitutional Court ruled in its ruling T-248 that sexual orientation does not pose a risk to blood donation. In this ruling, the Court ordered the Ministry of Health to review current regulations and eliminate selection criteria based on sexual orientation. It argued that the risk of contracting infectious diseases depends on risky behavior, not sexual orientation. Furthermore, it emphasized that blood banks already test all donations for HIV, making it unnecessary to use sexual orientation as an exclusion criterion. The ruling also urges the Ministry of Health to train health professionals and laboratories to conduct surveys and interviews with potential donors regardless of their sexual orientation.^[20][21]

On November 5, 2015, the Colombian Constitutional Court issued a landmark ruling allowing same-sex couples to adopt children. In its ruling, the Court established that adoption agencies could not discriminate against LGBT couples during the adoption process.^[22]

On April 28, 2016, Colombia's Constitutional Court issued a landmark ruling allowing same-sex marriage in the country. This decision guaranteed that same-sex couples had the right to marry and access all the associated legal benefits and responsibilities.^[16][23]

In 2022, Jeison Vásquez Borja, a journalist and LGBT activist, was murdered in Medellín. The city's mayor, Daniel Quintero, condemned the incident and offered a reward for information leading to the killers' arrest.^[24]

In 2023, the head Colombian National Police, Henry Sanabria, was removed from his high position due to sexist, homophobic, and ultra-religious comments made during a televised interview.^[25][26]