Colombia: Gays excluded from reparations bill

Great strides have been made in recent years to promote the rights of Latin America’s LGBT community. Several months ago, for instance, Argentina became the first country in the region to permit same-sex marriages. Yet there is still plenty of work that could still be done.

Last September the Colombian government presented a reparations bill for victims of the country’s brutal armed conflict. The proposal, which was similar to a proposal defeated in the legislature last year, would includes a plan to return land to victims and more aid for the social sector. The plan as presented to congress made sure to recognize victims regardless of gender, race, or religion.

Unfortunately the Ley de Victimas (Victims Law) has reportedly been undermined by conservative legislators. According to an article in Colombia’s El Espectador, several congressmen want to exclude gays as a group protected under the Victims Law. “If a gay or lesbian lost his/her partner due to the armed conflict they will not be covered” under the proposal said gay rights activist Mauricio Albarracín to the daily.

Conservative legislator Oscar Bravo said that the clause was eliminated since there was already language against discrimination written into the proposal. Furthermore, it may be the case that eliminating gays from the proposal can help the entire bill get passed by the legislature. Yet the bill itself recognizes heterosexual couples as victims if they are married or in a similar conjugal relationship. One gay rights advocate claimed that the move was “homophobic” and implied that removing the clause was “in accordance” to policies espoused by local Catholic Church officials.

On a related note, the debate over the Victims Law wasn’t the only issue affecting Colombia’s LGBT community last week. The Constitutional Court ruled against a lawsuit to legalize civil marriage for same-sex couples after claiming that the case was filed in an “irregular manner”. Some Colombians did not take the decision lightly:

Gay rights advocates in Colombia planned to protest Friday after the nation's highest court rejected a lawsuit that could have legalized gay marriage.

Protesters are planning to gather in the central square of Bogota, the nation's capital, Friday, said Yeiler Manuel Tapia Barrios, an activist from the coastal town of Barranquilla.

"We feel that they are violating our rights as citizens. We also pay the same taxes," said Tapia, 24.

Image- Advocate.com (“Pride revelers celebrate in Bogota, Columbia earlier this year.”)
Online Sources- El Espectador, Americas Quarterly, The Latin Americanist, CNN