Love in the time of cholera: LGBT rights in Colombia

ABSTRACTIn a recent hearing before the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, human rights activists denounced the violence in Colombia besetting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transvestite, transsexual and transgendered individuals (LGBT). Amongst the problems enumerated were abuse of police power, sexual violence in the prisons, murders fueled by hate, as well as several kinds of discrimination. This contrasts with the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court, where there has been advancement in the protection of individuals’ sexual rights. This article, which describes both the violence as well as the Court’s sentencing, analyzes the symbolic role of the law and argues that these activists have an ambivalent relationship with the law: while wary of it, for its inefficacy, they mobilize for legal reform and benefit from the Court’s progressive jurisprudence. Original in Spanish. Translated by Eric Lockwood.Submitted in November 2009. Accepted in December 2009. KEYWORDSGay rights – LGBT rights – Sexual rights – Same-sex equality – The Colombian Constitutional Court – Hate crimes.