Country Overview
Colombia
At a glance
Same-sex Relations for Men Legal Throughout the Country?
Same-sex Relations for Women Legal Throughout the Country?
Legal Gender Recognition Possible?
LGBTI Orgs Able to Register?
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LGBTIQ people enjoy strong protection under the law. In 1999, the Constitutional Court issued rulings for two intersex-related cases that restricted physicians' and parents' ability to surgically "correct" the genitals of intersex children without their consent and also recognized intersex people as a minority group deserving human rights protection. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Colombia since 2011, and in 2016, Colombia’s Constitutional Court made it illegal to refuse marriage registration for same-sex couples. Since 2015, same-sex couples have been allowed to adopt. The process for legal gender recognition was also simplified in 2015 following a favorable court decision. Additionally, in March 2022, the Colombian Constitutional Court recognized third-gender classifications for nonbinary individuals. Colombia has legal protections against discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity; however, these legal protections have yet to translate into better investigation and sentencing of perpetrators of hate crimes.
Public opinion and treatment of LGBTIQ people vary greatly across Colombia. The 2022 congressional election was a historic victory for representation as a record number of queer candidates won, increasing the number from two to seven.
In July 2023, Colombia broke ground when the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), a transitional justice tribunal, unveiled an indictment that charged 15 former rebels with war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against LGBTQ people during Colombia’s decades-long internal armed conflict. In doing so, Colombia acknowledged conflict-driven violence against LGBTQ people as gender persecution, a crime against humanity recognized by the International Criminal Court and the JEP. In April 2024, lesbian activist Marcela Sánchez, the executive director of the NGO Colombia Diversa, addressed the UN Security Council regarding the impact of Colombia’s armed conflict on LGBTQ people and the opportunities offered by the Women, Peace and Security agenda to address the harm done and prevent further violence. Her statement marked the first time in its 78-year history that the Security Council received a full briefing in a regular session on issues impacting LGBTQ people in a conflict setting.
*Outright research indicates that the bodily autonomy of intersex people is respected and protected in this country.
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