Towards a more equal Latin America: LGBTI Political Leaders Conference of the Americas 2023

Last week, the Global Equality Caucus attended the 2023 LGBTI Political Leaders Conference of the Americas in Mexico City, one of the largest gatherings of openly LGBT+ political leaders, public servants, and allies in the world.

The event was organised by civil society colleagues from Corporación Caribe Afirmativo (Colombia), LGBTQ Victory Institute (USA), Yaaj (Mexico), Diversidad Dominicana (Dominican Republic), PROMSEX (Peru), and SOMOS CDC (Honduras).

Participants from across the Americas and the Caribbean took part, with an aim to strengthen their network, share ideas, exchange best practices, and lay the foundations for advancing equality in their countries, working closely together with decision makers to effect change.

With our strong presence in Latin America, the Global Equality Caucus was delighted to reconnect in person with its regional leadership, including Steering Committee members Tamara Adrián (Venezuela) and Temístocles Villanueva (CDMX), as well as federal deputies Salma Luévano (Mexico), Susel Parades (Peru) and Andres Cancimance (Colombia).

There was an opportunity to sit down with associate members, former congressmen Mauricio Toro (Colombia) and Alberto de Bélaunde (Peru), who we continue to consult closely in our campaign to advance bans on ‘conversion therapy’.

Members also met with the future generation of leaders, with numerous candidates for political office in attendance, as well as leading representatives from civil society.

The importance of gathering legislators and civil society organisations is not to be underestimated, as both serve as important pillars in the fight for equal rights for the LGBT+ community.

For this reason, we asked both legislators and civil society to articulate the importance of these gatherings to their work, and how connecting across borders helps to drive collective progress for LGBT+ people.

We want to thank the organisers for inviting us to this important event and are looking forward to continuing to strengthen our regional network in close collaboration with both legislators and CSOs.