Gay colonbianos
Local gay boy Jesus from Barranquilla gives us the lowdown about gay Colombia and what day-to-day life is prefer for the LGBTQ community of Colombia.
Despite its sordid history with the cartels, Colombia has undergone a huge transformation to not only become one of the most queer friendly countries in Latin America, but in the world.
Catholicism is still robust here and population is largely conservative, but despite this, gay marriage was legalized in April 2016, with the first gay wedding taking place in Cali back in May 2016.
In addition, Congress passed a law banning discrimination based on orientation in 2011, adoption was legalized in 2012 and the right to convert legal gender has been in place since 1993. And if that wasn't enough, Colombia just keeps on getting gayer, electing its first lesbian mayor in October 2019.
Bogota and Medellin each have a thriving fun gay neighborhood, especially Chapinero in Bogota where you can find the mega gay club Theatron – the largest gay club in Latin America. As a lgbtq+ couple traveling in Colombia, we were so pleasantly surprised by how male lover friendly Colombia is. We felt extremely welcome and never had any problems
Gay man elected to Colombia congress
On June 23 of last year, I held the microphone as a gay guy in the Modern Orleans City Council Chamber and associated a lost piece of queer history to the seven council members. I told this story to disabuse all New Orleanians of the notion that silence and accommodation, in the tackle of institutional and official failures, are a path to healing.
The story I related to them began on a typical Sunday night at a second-story bar on the fringe of New Orleans’ French Quarter in 1973, where working-class men would gather around a white toddler grand piano and belt out the lyrics to a song that was the anthem of their hidden collective, “United We Stand” by the Brotherhood of Man.
“United we stand,” the men would sing together, “divided we fall” — the words epitomizing the ethos of their beloved UpStairs Lounge prevent, an egalitarian free space that served as a forerunner to today’s homosexual safe havens.
Around that piano in the 1970s Deep South, gays and lesbians, white and Shadowy queens, Christians and non-Christians, and even early gender minorities could cast aside the racism, sexism, and homophobia of the times to find acceptance and comp
Despite its sordid history with the drugs cartels, Colombia has undergone a major transformation over the last 20 years. And although Catholicism is still robust 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 Diverse 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 rule banning discrimination on sexual orientation in 2011, adoption for same-sex couples was legalized in 2012 and the right to modify 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 demonstrate in Madrid, and is one of the reasons why Colombia was considered the Leading LGBTQ+ Destination in South America in 2018, by the Planet Travel Awards.
The