LGBT in Colombia
Encyclopedia
The initialism LGBT is used to refer collectively to lesbian
, gay
, bisexual
, and transgender
(LGBT
) people and members of the specific group and to the community (subculture
) that surrounds them. This can include rights advocates, artists, authors, etc.
The LGBT community in Colombia
, like in most Latin American countries is often subject of controversy regarding acceptance (transgender individuals, in particular) due to the prevalence of heterosexism
and machismo
or male chauvinism in latino
cultures.
, lesbian
, bisexual or transgender
people in Colombia. Some research of the National Department of Statistics indicate that in the capital Bogotá
, there are a rough estimate of 219,520 predominantly gay men and 615,000 men who have sex with men
(MSMs). The numbers for women vary between 48,000 and 96,000. An extrapolation to the entire country's population estimates nearly a million gay men, 2.5 million MSMs and 350,000 lesbians.
There is about 20 registered LGBT Organizations in Colombia. Among others:
area, including the only LGBT Community Center in the country, which opened in September 2006, and is sponsored by the Office of the Mayor of Bogotá. See also Zona Rosa de Bogotá
.
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
, and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
(LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
) people and members of the specific group and to the community (subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
) that surrounds them. This can include rights advocates, artists, authors, etc.
The LGBT community in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, like in most Latin American countries is often subject of controversy regarding acceptance (transgender individuals, in particular) due to the prevalence of heterosexism
Heterosexism
Heterosexism is a system of attitudes, bias, and discrimination in favor of opposite-sex sexuality and relationships. It can include the presumption that everyone is heterosexual or that opposite-sex attractions and relationships are the only norm and therefore superior...
and machismo
Machismo
Machismo, or machoism, is a word of Spanish and Portuguese origin that describes prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity. As an attitude, machismo ranges from a personal sense of virility to a more extreme male chauvinism...
or male chauvinism in latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
cultures.
Statistics
There are no complete statistical studies on the number of gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, bisexual or transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people in Colombia. Some research of the National Department of Statistics indicate that in the capital Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, there are a rough estimate of 219,520 predominantly gay men and 615,000 men who have sex with men
Men who have sex with men
Men who have sex with men are male persons who engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex, regardless of how they identify themselves; many men choose not to accept sexual identities of homosexual or bisexual...
(MSMs). The numbers for women vary between 48,000 and 96,000. An extrapolation to the entire country's population estimates nearly a million gay men, 2.5 million MSMs and 350,000 lesbians.
LGBT History
- 1513: Spanish conquistador Vasco Nuñez de BalboaVasco Núñez de BalboaVasco Núñez de Balboa was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an expedition to have seen or reached the Pacific from the New World.He traveled to the New World in...
killed a group of native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the AmericasThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
with his dogs near the Darien GapDarién GapThe Darién Gap is a large swath of undeveloped swampland and forest separating Panama's Darién Province in Central America from Colombia in South America. It measures just over long and about wide. Roadbuilding through this area is expensive, and the environmental toll is steep. Political...
, who were said to be homosexuals. - 1514: One of the first books written about the Americas, Historia General y Natural de las Indias reports that homosexuality was fairly common in the territory of what is today Colombia
- 1610: The opening of the Spanish inquisitionSpanish InquisitionThe Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
tribunal in CartagenaCartagena, ColombiaCartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
. The tribunal has autonomy to apply the death penalty in cases of sodomySodomySodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
. - 19th and early 20th centuries: Treatments supposed to cure homosexuality were applied, such as electroshock, hormones and monkey testicle xenotransplantationXenotransplantationXenotransplantation , is the transplantation of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another. Such cells, tissues or organs are called xenografts or xenotransplants...
. - 1970s: In MedellínMedellínMedellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, a group of gay men led by León Zuleta started the first Colombian gay association (Zuleta was killed due to related causes in 1993) - 1974: The American Psychiatric AssociationAmerican Psychiatric AssociationThe American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
removed the homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersThe Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders...
, (DSM), its list of mental diseases. The national government, however did not adopt this standard and still classified homosexuality as a mental illness in the national disease codification CIE for several more years. - 1976: The MLHC (Movimiento de Liberación Homosexual de Colombia- Colombia's Homosexual Liberation Movement), is founded in Bogotá by Manuel Velandia Mora, based on León Zuleta's idea, who had edited the first issue of "El Otro" magazine, in Medellín.
- 1981: HomosexualityHomosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
is declared legal by the Colombian government. (Prior to this year, homosexuality was considered a crime and punished with 5 to 15 years jail time) - 1982: The first gay prideGay prideLGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
parade was celebrated in Bogotá, with about 32 people marching. A contingent of nearly a hundred policemen were sent for crowd controlCrowd controlCrowd control is the controlling of a crowd, to prevent the outbreak of disorder and prevention of possible riot. Examples are at soccer matches, when a sale of goods has attracted an excess of customers, refugee control, or mass decontamination and mass quarantine situations . It calls for gentler...
. - 1983: The first official reports of AIDS-related deaths in Colombia. The GAI Help and Information on AIDS Group (GAI Grupo de ayuda e Informacion sobre SIDA) is founded by Manuel Velandia y Eduardo Moreno.
- 1986-1989: Groups of illegal anti-gay social cleansing were formed around the country to take actions against the LGBT community. The media reported a rising bigotry and about 640 related murders during this period. Some groups that attributed themselves the crimes were "Manonegra" (black hand), "Amor a Medellín" (love to Medellín), "Amor a Manizales" (love to ManizalesManizalesManizales is a city and municipality in central Colombia, capital of Department of Caldas and part of the region of Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis, near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano....
) and "muerte a HOMOSEXUALES" (death to homosexuals). - 1990: Manuel Velandia promoted the recognition of equal rights for HIVHIVHuman immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-infected people. - 1991-1994: Reports of the media about several episodes of gay bashingGay bashingGay bashing and gay bullying is verbal or physical abuse against a person who is perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender . Such abuse is used also to bully heterosexual persons and persons of non-specific or unknown sexual orientation.A "bashing" may be a specific incident, and one...
against people leaving places suspected of being gay nightclubs in Bogotá, who were stripped, soaked with cold water and left in the top of MonserrateMonserrateMonserrate is a mountain that dominates the city center of Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. It rises to above the sea level, where there is a church with a shrine, devoted to "El Señor Caído" .The hill is a pilgrim destination, as well as a tourist attraction...
hill. - 1994: The first support groups for HIV/AIDS were created.
- 1996: The first organized lesbianLesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
groups were created. - 1995: Psychologist Marina Talero created the first support groups for transgender people.
- During the early 2000s, the Colombian lawyer and LGBT Activist German Perfetti won legal actions for the achievement of important issues such as: social security for same-sex couples, the right to work for gay teachers, protection against unjustified job loss for LGBT–related causes, and the right to legal name change for transgenderTransgenderTransgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people. - 2000: The first National LGBT Convention was celebrated in Bogotá.
- 2001: Creation of Planeta Paz (the Planet Peace Project) for bisexualBisexualityBisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
visibility. - 2002: En el amanecer del 1 de marzo el candidato a la Cámara por el sector de las minorías sexuales del partido Liberal colombiano, Manuel Antonio Velandia Mora fue víctima de un atentado, cuando desconocidos lanzaron una granada de fragmentación a la fachada de su casa, en el barrio Chapinero Occidental, en Bogotá.
- 2007: El 17 de enero de 2007 Manuel Antonio Velandia Mora se ve obligado a desplazarse a España para solicitar asilo politico. Su caso de se presentó por medio de la Cruz Roja Española, en San Sebastián con acompañamiento de CEAR Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado en Euskadi y el apoyo de Gehitu (Asociación LGBT del País Vasco). Fue presentado en febrero de 2007, en la Jefatura superior de la Comisaría Provincial de San Sebastián, Unidad Provincial de Extranjería y Documentación de la Dirección General de la Policía.
- 7 February 2007: Colombian Constitutional Court recognizes proprietary equity (inheritance) rights for same-sex couples having lived together for more than 2 years and registered as a union in a public notary, thanks to the efforts of the public interest law group of Universidad de los Andes.
- March 2007: The president of the CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Bishop council, Pedro Rubiano, together with other ecclesiastic authorities, made press statements against the recognition of same-sex couples by the national government. - June 2007: The Colombian Congress, in the final stage of recognition of same-sex couples, decided to discard the project
- 5 October 2007: The Colombian Constitutional Court rules that same-sex couples registered as a couple in a public notary must be granted the same social security (health care) benefits as those given to heterosexual couples.
- 12 November 2007: The LGBT community center of Chapinero was closed for a month due to bureaucratic issues and lack of funds
- December 2007: Several transvestites murdered in Bogota's Santafé neighborhood. Reports of at least one million pesos (about 500 dollars) being paid in exchange for each murder.
- 17 April 2008: The Colombian Constitutional Court rules that same-sex couples registered as a couple in a public notary must be granted the same pension benefits as those given to heterosexual couples. This ruling, together with the ruling of 7 February 2007 on property rights (inheritance) and the ruling of 5 October 2007 on social security means Colombian same-sex couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples.
- 27 January 2009: the Colombian Constitutional Court makes a general revision of the National Constitution in order to provide equality between same-sex civil unions and heterosexual ones. Also, in order to correct every single article where homosexual people and couple would be under discrimination.
- 8 April 2010: la Subdirección General de Asilo, Oficina of Asilo and refugee, of the General Direction of Interior Politics of the spanish Ministeriy of Interior recognized Manuel Antonio Velandia Mora the condition of refugee and the right of asilo.
Organizations
- Colombia Diversa Organization
- LesbianLesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
Organizations: “DeGeneres-E”, “Triangulo Negro” ( Black Triangle) , “Lesbic Collective” and “Mujeres al Borde” ( Women to the Edge) - Lambda project: HIV/AIDS- related
- “Círculo LGBT Uniandino”, Universidad de los Andes
- “Stonewall Javeriano”, Student group by Pontificia Universidad Javeriana - Vicerrectoría del Medio Universitario - Asistencia para el fomento de Grupos Estudiantiles
- Grupo estudiantil UDiversia, Universidad distr
- TRANS-SER Red de Apoyo a Transgeneristas
Events
- SUNGAY Party is a charity event to raise funds for LGBT-related projects.
- Gay Pride Day: 28 June, with parades in the main cities of the country.
- Del Mismo Modo, En el Sentido Contrario, Party from Círculo LGBT Uniandino.
- fiesta gitler. party from Stonwall javeriano, Pontificia universidad javeriana
- Guacherna Gay at Barranquilla's CarnivalBarranquilla's CarnivalBarranquilla's Carnaval is Colombia's most important folklore celebration, one of the biggest carnivals in the world. The carnival has traditions that date back to the 19th century...
.
Gay villages
Most of the LGBT-friendly places (nightclubs, bars, gay bath houses, etc.) in Bogotá are concentrated in the ChapineroChapinero
Chapinero is the second locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located in northeastern Bogotá. It is among the more affluent of localities in the city, and is home to several important commercial and dining areas. It comprises three major residential areas: Chicó, El Lago, and Chapinero...
area, including the only LGBT Community Center in the country, which opened in September 2006, and is sponsored by the Office of the Mayor of Bogotá. See also Zona Rosa de Bogotá
Zona Rosa de Bogotá
Zona Rosa de Bogotá is a neighborhood in Bogotá, Colombia with many pubs, restaurants, malls, shops and discos. It is located between Calles 79-85 and Carreras 11-15. The Zona Rosa is mostly frequented by upper-class Colombians, as prices here tend to be higher than average, with covers for...
.
Literature
- Fernando VallejoFernando VallejoFernando Vallejo Rendón is a novelist, filmmaker and essayist, born in Colombia. He obtained Mexican nationality in 2007.Vallejo was born and raised in Medellín, though he left his hometown early in life...
: Our Lady of the Assassins (novel)Our Lady of the Assassins (novel)Our Lady of the Assassins is a semi-autobiographical novel by the Colombian writer Fernando Vallejo about an author in his fifties who returns to his hometown of Medellín after 30 years of absence to find himself trapped in an atmosphere of violence and murder caused by drug cartel warfare...
(also adapted to film), El Desbarrancadero (The Precipice), El Rio del Tiempo (River of Time), Los Caminos a Roma (Roads to Rome) among others. - Porfirio Barba-JacobPorfirio Barba-JacobMiguel Ángel Osorio Benítez , better known by his pseudonym, Porfirio Barba-Jacob, was a Colombian poet and writer....
- Alonso Sanchez Baute: Al Diablo la Maldita Primavera (To Hell with the Goddamn SpringTo Hell with the Goddamn SpringTo Hell with the Goddamn Spring is a Colombian play, based on the novel of the same name by Alonso Sánchez Baute...
). (also adapted to theater) - Luis Fayad: Los parientes de Esther (Esther's relatives)
- Tomás Gonzalez: Primero estaba el mar (The sea was first)
- Ruben Velez: Veinticinco centímetros (25 centimetres), dec. 1997 published by W. C. Editores
Media
- Miau Colombia: Miau Underground Collective. the first onlineONLINEONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
LGTB television show in Colombia. - DOMINIO G: The first latin american LGBT+H Television channelTelevision channelA television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
, produced in Colombia. - “Círculo LGBT Uniandino Channel”: Live Channel, streaming: activism programmes, academic lectures, produced in Colombia.
- Bogotárosa: Webportal, dedicated to LGBT community in Bogotá, Metro area and Colombia. News, guide, movies, music and general entertainment.
- “EL OTRO” (1970) published by León Zuleta was the first gay publication released in a regular basis in the country.
- Indetectable
- RumbaG portal
- Nemesis times magazine
Nightclubs
- Theatron: Located in BogotáBogotáBogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, is considered the largest gay nightclub in Latin AmericaLatin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area... - Medellín nightclubs: Feathers-Splash
- In Barranquilla Studio 54 and Sky bar among other baths, videos and so on.