DRAFT:

Jahan Amrin

Professor Aisha Sidibe

FIQWS 10103 World History and Culture

16th September 2018

LGBT in Latin America

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER for short stand for LGBT. LGBT has always been a controversial issue not only in Latin America but in other parts of the world. Religious and Traditional views play a crucial role for the social environment of LGBT people because anything related to homosexuality or the modification of one’s gender has always been seen as a crime or a misdeed for many decades. Though, LGBT pride and protest movement has steadily encouraged the making of slight improvements in the government and society, it is still one of the main controversies that needs to be resolved.

Latin America has been known to be making the most adaptable condition for the people of the LGBT community. For example, same sex marriage has been gradually accepted by many Latin American countries since the 1990s. Improvements can also be seen from the Court by allowing the alteration of one gender, title and sexual orientation for no secluded cost.

Surprisingly, the Supreme Court of many countries like Spain and Chile passed such laws that allows the  legalization of same sex marriage, in addition, the law that allows you to legally change your name, gender, and sexual preference. Spain was in fact one of the first countries to legalize same sex marriage, which then led to the follows of many more countries.  So why are these countries Courts favoring the LGBT rights? Well the Court allowed this because its fundamental principles of belief did not include religious perspective of one’s sexual orientation and preference. It is considered to be one’s right that cannot be violated under any circumstances. But why were the people of the few unfriendly LGBT countries so against these moderate sanctions? the reason…very transparent those meager countries did not change their conduct because of the negativity towards such a topic that were scattered pretty much everywhere.

The LGBT communities faced plentiful insolent crisis from their fellow residents because of their strong detestation, creating a difficult and unpleasant position for an LGBT to be in. People who fell into the LGBT categories often faced discrimination, abandonment and even violence based on their sexual identification. Being the victim of such violent exertion, led to a rising case of murder rates in many Latin American countries. Countries like Brazil having one of the highest murder rate out of all the Latin American countries precisely because of their attitude on such a topic. “Each year it gets worse: in 2017, 445 LGBTQ Brazilians were slain, up 30 percent from 2016.”  So what can the government do to withstand these climacteric incidents? Well the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights wanted administration to get involved they specifically wanted administration to “take strict action against homophobia.” Administration did get involved in fact. However, their involvement didn’t really improve the circumstances mostly because their efforts were not perfectly adequate to control or regulate the issue. Which does postulate a lot about the administration on how they manipulate certain issues.

Homophobia is seen as a problem in the Latin American communities because it disrespects one right to character traits. The government is requested to do more for the LGBT communities for their satisfaction as a citizen. But if not taken seriously or proper action issues like murder will be ongoing without consequences.

 

References:

Why Latin American Courts favor gay rights by Omar G. Encarnacion – The New York Times

Latin America could lead the way for LGBT rights in 2018 by Daniel Berezowsky Ramirez – Human Rights Watch

A Brief History of the LGBTQ movement in Latin America