Costa Rica declares 17 May as National Day against Homophobia
31 March 2008
- As of 2008, 17 May is the National Day against Homophobia in Costa Rica. The national day is the result of an active lobby campaign by Hivos-partner CIPAC, an organisation that has been fighting for years for the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Costa Rica.
CIPAC has been involved in a lobby campaign for a National Day against Homophobia since the beginning of 2007, says Fransisco Madrigal, administrative director of CIPAC. In June 2007, the organisation invited the well-known Mexican expert on homosexuality, Marina Castañeda, to participate in a range of meetings and debates in Costa Rica. CIPAC also arranged a meeting between her and the Costa Rican Health Minister Maria Luisa Avila.
During the meeting, minister Avila received the CIPAC-proposal to consider 17 May as National Day against Homophobia. A few months and several meetings later, the decree appeared in the official state-owned newspaper LA Gaceta. The decree, which literally refers to the CIPAC-proposal, states that (1) 17 May is now officially the National Day against Homophobia and (2) national institutions have to actively promote not only the goals of this particular day but also all activities that are directed towards eliminating homophobia.
The Hivos-supported Centro Cultural de la Diversidad Sexual de Costa Rica (CIPAC), an organisation that fights for the rights of the LGBT-community, organizes not only training sessions, workshops, counselling and selfhelpgroups but also social and recreational activities for homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders in Costa Rica. CIPAC is also known for its annual Festival por el Orgullo Gay.
Read CIPAC’s communiqué in the right column on this page. See also the website of CIPAC (in Spanish).
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