LGBT rights in Nicaragua
Encyclopedia
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Nicaragua may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT
residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Nicaragua
, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.
.
against Nicaragua, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) promoting LGBT rights began to operate in the country due to the absence of pressure from the United States. As a result, Nicaragua hosted in first public gay pride festival
in 1991. The annual Gay Pride celebration in Managua, held around 28 June, in still in motion and is used to commemorate the uprising of the Stonewall riots
in New York City.
After gaining support the LGBT community suffered a huge setback when a bill formerly written to protect women from rape and sexual abuse was changed by the Social Christian
s. The change imposed a sentence of up to three years in prison for "anyone who induces, promotes, propagandizes, or practices sex among persons of the same sex in a scandalous manner." Activists did not keep quiet and along with their allies they protested in Nicaragua and at embassies abroad; however, no change occurred and President Violeta Chamorro
signed the bill into a law in July 1992 as Article 204 of the criminal code
. In November 1992 a coalition known as the Campaign for Sexuality without Prejudices, composed of lawyers, lesbians and gay activists, amongst others, presented an appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice challenging the law as unconstitutional. However, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal in March 1994. In November 2007, a new Penal Code was drafted repealing Article 204 – Which came into effect in 1 March 2008.
; however, the situation for lesbian
s is progressing more slowly. Managua now hosts three western-style gay bars. They are Bar Club Tabu, Bar Q and Lollipop. There are also two gay hotels in Nicaragua. They are Viva Guesthouse in Managua and Hotel Joluva in Granada. They cater to mainly men, but there is a small lesbian population that frequents them. Lesbians are generally less visible in public spaces than gay men. Their socializing often occurs in private venues such as potluck dinner parties. Open homosexuality has become much more commonplace in the cities. There is still more bias in more rural locations, but Nicaraguans are generally accepting of the gay male as he has a role in society. Some believe that lesbians pose more of a threat to a Latin male's ego and therefore are not as accepted.
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...
residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.
Law regarding same-sex sexual activity
Since 1 March 2008, same-sex sexual activity has been legal by a new Penal Code. The age of consent is equal at 18, regardless of sexual orientation, gender and all sexual offenses are gender-neutral.Sandinista era
Many LGBT Nicaraguans held prominent roles during the Sandinista Revolution; however, LGBT rights were not of any priority to the Sandinista government due to an overwhelming Roman Catholic population. It was also thought to be a huge political risk sure to be met with hostility from the Roman Catholic Church. On the tenth anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution (1989), many community centers were launched for LGBT. The community centers began to form due to a staged march by activists that took place in ManaguaManagua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
.
Post-Sandinista era
After the United States lifted the economic embargoEmbargo
An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargoes are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the imposing country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is...
against Nicaragua, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) promoting LGBT rights began to operate in the country due to the absence of pressure from the United States. As a result, Nicaragua hosted in first public gay pride festival
Gay pride parade
Pride parades for the LGBT community are events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture. The events also at times serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage...
in 1991. The annual Gay Pride celebration in Managua, held around 28 June, in still in motion and is used to commemorate the uprising of the Stonewall riots
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
in New York City.
After gaining support the LGBT community suffered a huge setback when a bill formerly written to protect women from rape and sexual abuse was changed by the Social Christian
Nicaraguan Social Christian Party
The Social Christian Party is a Nicaraguan political party with Christian democrat ideology founded in 1957. As of 2006, the PSC is part of the Sandinista Renovation Movement alliance in the Nicaraguan general election, 2006....
s. The change imposed a sentence of up to three years in prison for "anyone who induces, promotes, propagandizes, or practices sex among persons of the same sex in a scandalous manner." Activists did not keep quiet and along with their allies they protested in Nicaragua and at embassies abroad; however, no change occurred and President Violeta Chamorro
Violeta Chamorro
Violeta Barrios Torres de Chamorro is a Nicaraguan political leader, former president and publisher. She became president of Nicaragua on April 25, 1990, when she unseated Daniel Ortega...
signed the bill into a law in July 1992 as Article 204 of the criminal code
Criminal Code
A criminal code is a document which compiles all, or a significant amount of, a particular jurisdiction's criminal law...
. In November 1992 a coalition known as the Campaign for Sexuality without Prejudices, composed of lawyers, lesbians and gay activists, amongst others, presented an appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice challenging the law as unconstitutional. However, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal in March 1994. In November 2007, a new Penal Code was drafted repealing Article 204 – Which came into effect in 1 March 2008.
Living conditions
There is a modest gay social scene in ManaguaManagua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
; however, the situation for 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...
s is progressing more slowly. Managua now hosts three western-style gay bars. They are Bar Club Tabu, Bar Q and Lollipop. There are also two gay hotels in Nicaragua. They are Viva Guesthouse in Managua and Hotel Joluva in Granada. They cater to mainly men, but there is a small lesbian population that frequents them. Lesbians are generally less visible in public spaces than gay men. Their socializing often occurs in private venues such as potluck dinner parties. Open homosexuality has become much more commonplace in the cities. There is still more bias in more rural locations, but Nicaraguans are generally accepting of the gay male as he has a role in society. Some believe that lesbians pose more of a threat to a Latin male's ego and therefore are not as accepted.
See also
- Politics of NicaraguaPolitics of NicaraguaNicaragua is a presidential representative democratic republic, in which the President of Nicaragua is both head of state and head of government, and there is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National...
- LGBT rights in the AmericasLGBT rights in the AmericasLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights are complex in the Americas. The British, French, Spanish and Portuguese colonists, who settled most of the Americas, brought Christianity from Europe...