Colombia reports 175 murders of LGBTQ+ individuals, the highest number among 10 Latin American countries.

The homicide figures of individuals with sexual and gender diversity, reported by multiple organizations in Latin America, tarnish International Pride Day. The LGBTI Violence-Free Network — which compiles data from 10 countries totaling around 305 million inhabitants — documented 361 murders in 2024, averaging one every 24 hours. In Colombia, 175 of these occurred, accounting for 48% of the total, while the country represents 17.5% of the population among the 10 states. Following Colombia are Mexico with 80, Guatemala with 36, and Honduras with 28. “Prejudices and stereotypes underpin the violence,” laments Karen Anaya, a researcher from the network.

While the total figure regionally decreased by three cases compared to 2023, Colombia reported 16 more homicides, a 10% increase. However, the network warns that the analysis of some countries with lesser figures needs to be rigorous. In Nicaragua or El Salvador, for instance, underreporting is generated due to lack of access to information and fear of retaliation against denunciations. Despite these limitations, data shows the persistence of systematic and structural violence against these groups in the region.

In Colombia, violence reoccurs against those who express their identity more visibly. The most frequent victims were gay men, with 33% of the murders, and trans women, with 17%. Gay men were generally attacked in private spaces such as homes, hotels, or accommodations, while trans women mostly suffered assaults in open places like streets or public areas. “There is a certain spectacle of violence, socially enabled by the rejection of people who, in quotes, do not conform to heteronormativity. That’s why it’s essential to work with social bases and raise awareness about what is happening,” points out María Paula Spagnoletti, a forensic science graduate and member of the network’s technical secretariat.

The behavior referenced by Spagnoletti was evident last April with the brutal attack on Sara Millerey, the 32-year-old trans woman who died after having her arms and legs broken and being thrown into a ravine in Bello (Antioquia). This occurred in broad daylight in front of bystanders who recorded the scene on their mobile phones. It also recalls the murder of Nawar Jiménez, the trans leader from Carmen de Bolívar, in Los Montes de María. Her body was found discarded in a ditch at the entrance of the municipality.

Such violence is used as a form of admonition or threat to other individuals who reveal their sexual orientation or gender identity. “People not only know this but they record or share it. And that feeds the idea that it is permissible. Impunity not only relates to the response of the justice system, which is a significant concern, but also with social justification. If we do not start addressing the structural causes of lethal violence against LGBTI individuals, rooted in prejudice, we will not be able to resolve the situation,” adds Anaya, a lawyer with gender studies.

The assaults intertwine with dynamics of organized crime and armed conflict, in contexts that increase risks for LGBTIQ+ individuals. After the displacement crisis that impacted the Catatumbo region, bordering Venezuela, earlier this year, LGBTI leaders reported intimidation from illegal groups such as the ELN and dissidents from the former FARC. Additionally, among last year’s victims were three migrants of Venezuelan origin.

Juan Carlos Florián, the deputy minister of diversity at the Ministry of Equality and Equity, acknowledges the concern in a country with the highest rate of such murders among those studied by the network. So far this year, 46 murders of LGBTIQ+ individuals have been committed in the country, according to the Caribbean Affirmative Observatory. “We continue to have a high rate of transfemicide and murders of gay men, always under the same motive: criminal gangs that have identified sex workers or trans leaders and gay men as targets of hatred and discrimination,” says the official.

Murders are the most violent and visible reflection of a structural problem, as promoted by advocates of the comprehensive trans law aimed at ensuring rights for individuals with diverse gender identities. Anaya, the network researcher — part of the Colombia Diversa organization — says, “The situation of trans women must be understood as a continuum of violence, beginning with their initial exclusion from their homes and then from educational, labor, and economic opportunities, leading them, for instance, into sex work, where they are exposed to various forms of violence.”

Of the 361 documented homicides in the 10 countries, only 9 have a conviction. Therefore, the network has urged governments to implement specialized units and criminal investigation protocols that recognize the particular motivations of these crimes. They also suggest incorporating gender and diversity approaches in citizen security policies, acknowledging the specific risks faced by LGBTIQ+ individuals.

Deputy Minister Florián asserts that Colombia is making efforts to prevent and punish these crimes. “We have implemented a system for the registration, attention, and monitoring of gender-based violence that incorporates these populations and allows data characterization for public policy decision-making. Together with the Ministry of the Interior, the Prosecutor’s Office, Legal Medicine, governorships, and municipalities, we developed a cultural transformation strategy to reduce discrimination and coordinate with competent authorities for timely judicialization,” he states.

Since 2016, the “Violence-Free LGBTIQ+” network has maintained the only regional information system on homicides against this population in Latin America and the Caribbean, despite the challenges of accessing statistics from a historically invisibilized population. “Data is a way to memorialize, to demand justice, reparations, and to design effective public policies,” emphasizes Spagnoletti.