Panama’s LGBT Community Celebrates

Panama’s LGBT community celebrated Saturday with its participation in the Pride march, having made progress in conquering political and democratic spaces to gain visibility and demand their rights. 

Although Panama is one of the few countries in the hemisphere where “no rights” are recognized for LGBT people, this movement has made great progress in terms of political participation and demands for democratic spaces in the Central American country.  Peaceful activists tested this theory on Saturday, June 29, walking freely through the streets of Panama City, shouting “here we are, we are visible, we deserve human rights just like everyone else!”  The march was organized by World Pride, and began from one of the sectors near the Cinta Costera tourist promenade, towards the Old Town of the city.  The route had a marked festive tone, bringing together hundreds of members of the various LGBT groups. 

At the beginning of 2023, the LGBT community in Panama suffered a setback when the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) closed the door to equal marriage.  The Panamanian Supreme Court concluded that it “does not have the status” of a human right, after ruling against lawsuits filed since 2016, which prevented the recognition of several cases of same-sex unions celebrated abroad.  Rather than weakening them, this adverse ruling “invigorates” the LGBT community, it has mobilized many people who did not see this as a political issue for them and assumed it as a distant issue when they saw that the CSJ does not respect human rights, does not respect international law, nor the dignity of the people who live in Panama.  Many more people have become aware and have joined the movement demanding rights for LGBT people.