Colombia

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

49.65 million

World Bank, 2018

Estimated SGM Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

N/A

Colombia is one of the more progressive countries in South America in terms of LGBTQIA+ rights. As is the case in many other Latin American countries, the prevalence of “machismo” culture (an importance of men demonstrating their “manliness”) and large Catholic influences on the country contribute to the discrimination and violence against Sexual and Gender minorities despite their legal rights. These factors likely contribute to the lack of information regarding the population of sexual and gender minorities in the country. However, it was recorded that 24,000 people in Colombia are transgender and 577,000 men have sex with men (UNAIDS 2018).

Colombia's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
Yes
Civil Unions
Yes
Joint Adoption
Yes
Second Parent Adoption
Yes
PROTECTION
Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
Yes
Broad Protections
Yes
Criminalization of Violence
Yes
Ban of Conversion Therapy
No
CRIMINALIZATION
Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?
Yes
Gender
Does Not Apply
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)
Does Not Apply

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Caballero, M. A. (2011). Social movements and the constitutional court: Legal recognition of the rights of same-sex couples in Colombia.SUR-Int'l J. on Hum Rts.,14, 7.https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/surij14&div=5&g_sent=1&casa_token=CaIUg90lOkAAAAAA:uB6J5RwqUvY-blmtH5pQ-E9WmwqMO4wBTlIxUqlxlCDmwbJyuJb6ptNjQq35s7xX2UKCIcy3&collection=journals#

Choi, S. K., Divsalar, S., Flórez-Donado, J., Kittle, K., Lin, A., Meyer, I. H., & Torres-Salazar, P. (2020). AND WELLBEING OF LGBT PEOPLE IN COLOMBIA Results. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/LGBT-Colombia-English-May-2020.pdf

Espitia, M. (2016). LGBT in Colombia: aWar Within. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1156&context=gj_etds

Oettler, A. (2019). The struggle for gendered peace and LGBT rights in Colombia. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/101624/

Thylin, T. (2020). Violence, toleration, or inclusion? Exploring variation in the experiences of LGBT combatants in Colombia. Sexualities, 23(3), 445-464.DOI: 10.1177/1363460719830348

Wilson, B. M., & Gianella-Malca, C. (2019). Overcoming the Limits of Legal Opportunity Structures: LGBT Rights’ Divergent Paths in Costa Rica and Colombia.Latin American Politics and Society, 61(2), 138-163. DOI: 10.1017/lap.2018.76