Bogotá's Gay Pride Parade 2014

'Click!'

Bogotá's 2014 Gay Pride Parade was the usual spectacle - and drew multitudes of spectators, despite competition from a World Cup elimination match.

Whether or not spectacles like this one contribute to the acceptance of sexual minorities, I'll let others decide.

Notably, the World Cup eight years from now is scheduled to be held in Qatar, a Muslim principality which imposes harsh penalties on homosexuals. If Qatar's discriminatory laws were instead directed against a racial or religious minority, then the FIFA would likely never tolerate them.

'For love, there are no barriers.'

'My best friend is gay.'

'Without political liberty, there is no sexual liberty.'

'A secular state now!'

The 'Bear club.'

When a city has a store catering specifically to closeted transvestites, it's means something, but I'm not sure exactly what.

'Our bodies are not puppets of the conflict.' - Stonewall Javeriana. The Javeriana, a Catholic university, recently cancelled an event about sexual minorities.

 


By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Scenes from Bogotá's 2013 Gay Pride Parade

Bogotá's annual Gay Pride Parade had its usual color and flamboyance. It also came at a time of advance for gay rights. Two weeks ago, the notaries introduced new same-sex unions, which provide such couples with most rights of marriage, altho they don't use the word 'matrimony'.

As always, I wonder whether in-your-face spectacles like today's do the gay community any favors in the view of the conventional majority. After all, if sexual minorities want to be seen as neighbors, relatives and co-workers who just happen to have a different sexual orientation, this sort of spectacle doesn't help.

Paraders satirized the Catholic Church and hard-line conservative Ordoñez, who opposed expanded rights for gays.

Biblical matrimony?

Catholic Church: Drop the homophobia and hypocrisy!

Free people, secular countries.

I'm hetrosexual and in support.

A man representing conservative procurador Ordoñez leads the enslaved by the neck.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Scenes from the 2011 Gay Pride Parade

Today was Bogotá's annual Gay Pride Parade - a colorful, flamboyant, sexual event. After seeing this, nobody should call Bogotá sexually repressed.

Colombia is relatively progressive on gay issues. Same-sex couples can register civil unions and enjoy most of the rights of marriage - except for the word 'marriage' and the right to adopt. The Constitutional Court is supposed to rule on gay marriage in July.  Gay rights advocates should be optimistic, as the high court has produced a series of progressive rulings in recent years.

Bogotá also has a gay neighborhood, Chapinero, and several organizations promoting equal rights for sexual minorities, the best known of which is Colombia Diversa.

Man with man, woman with woman, and the reverse. 

A bride who was born a man.

Extravagant dancer. 

'Disorder and pride.' I'm not sure what this referred to. 

These two guys said they represented U.S. gays. Ironically, on a national level Colombia's laws for same-sex couples are more progressive. 

A vendor at work. 

Signs urge the courts to approve gay marriage. I wonder, however, whether flamboyant  events like this one really help the gays' case with the mostly straight-laced people on the high court. 

Photographing. 

An arboreal viewpoint. 

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours